Stan Heath Fired

We've got a copy of Stan's contract we previously FOIA'ed, so here's the language:

Part 4: Term of Agreement: "... until March 31, 2018."

Part 6 (a): Base Salary: "Coach shall receive an annual Base Salary of $375,000 per year payable in accordance with University policy and procedures..."

Part 11 (a): "Termination by University Without Cause: "The University may terminate this agreement at any time without cause immediately upon providing written notice to Coach. In such an event, the University's sole obligation shall be to continue to provide the Base Salary to Coach as set forth in Section 6 (a) above (excluding benefits) until the expiration of the term of this Agreement. This payment will be made over the remaining term of the agreement as if Coach were still employed and will only be accelerated at the discretion of the University. Upon termination without cause, Coach shall be relieved of all further obligations under the Agreement."

So basically we owe Coach Heath $1.5 million, to go with the $2.5 million we're paying over five years to Skip Holtz still. Hey Mr. Harlan: we're broke, but I'm sure you knew that already. Help!

Though that's the only way in which the situations are similar. Coach Heath led USF to two NCAA Tournament wins, the first in team history. For those of us that live and die with USF basketball, that run from Dayton to Nashville is one we'll never forget, and made the decades of USF torture/fandom so worth it. They might not have been a pretty team to watch aesthetically, but man we're they a joy to cheer for on defense, and they will never, ever be forgotten.

Stan was also always top notch with us media hacks, and for that we thank him too. He took the tough questions well, and was always kind.

On the other hand, this year's team was almost unwatchable at times. They didn't play hard or for each other for long stretches, and seemed to check out mentally a while ago. Also their conditioning often seemed questionable. We understand the move, but prefer to think of the good times. Thank you, Coach.