Here's the Deal...

AUTHORS NOTE: I have been monitoring the google searches that have led to this blog. (Thanks to whoever looked up “Lori Schmidt is hot.”) Anyway, “Nick Siciliano’s salary” has been a really popular search lately, so I thought this might be a very good time to repost this report.

The freshman for the Ohio State football team are reporting to camp tomorrow, and the upperclassmen return to campus Sunday.

Right now it looks like the Buckeyes new coach, Luke Fickell, will spend his first real weekend of leading the Scarlet and Gray without dotting the I’s. That is, he has the outline of a contract, but has yet to sign the deal. Linebackers coach Mike Vrabel is also still working out details of his agreement with the university.

OSU announced yesterday that safeties coach Paul Haynes was being promoted to co-defensive coordinator. Running backs coach Dick Tressel received the added title of special teams coordinator. Neither move affects the coach’s contractual status with the Buckeyes, and so neither coach will be receiving a pay raise for performing the additional duties.

Haynes and Tressel as well as receivers coach Stan Drayton, tight ends coach John Peterson, and cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson all receive a base salary of $275,000.

Quarterbacks coach Nick Siciliano’s base salary is $250,000.

Coordinators Jim Heacock and Jim Bollman both make $350,00 in base salary.

All of the Ohio State assistant coaches currently under contract are signed through March 31, 2013-with the exception of Stan Drayton who has an additional year on his deal. He’s signed through March 31, 2014.

The contracts of OSU’s assistants were all changed this year to reflect the new format for Big Ten football. There’s a bonus for winning the division and another possible bonus for winning the conference championship game.

Also of note, the contracts of Ohio State’s assistants specifically prohibit:

“Fraud or dishonesty of Coach in preparing, falsifying, submitting or altering documents or records of Ohio State, NCAA or the Big Ten conference, or documents or records required to be prepared or maintained by law, Governing  Athletic Rules or University Rules, or other documents or records pertaining to any recruit or student-athlete, including without limitation, expense reports, transcripts, eligibility forms or compliance reports, or permitting, encouraging or condoning such fraudulent or dishonest acts by any other person, as determined by Ohio State; or…

“Failure by Coach to report promptly to the Director and to the Office of Compliance Services in writing any violations or potential violations known to Coach of Governing Athletic Rules or University Rules including, but not limited to, those by Coach, Head Coach, the assistant coaches, students or other persons under the direct control or supervision of Coach, as determined by Ohio State.”

Those are obviously the offenses that led to the departure of former head coach Jim Tressel.

And perhaps because these agreements were all signed between March 28 and April 18, in the midst of the turmoil of the NCAA’s investigation, Tressel’s departure was actually an issue addressed in the contracts of his staff. Assistants were informed that if Tressel left, it was possible that they, too, would be on their way out.

In that event, they would have been paid the remaining amount left on their deal. However, they would also be required to look for new work so that Ohio State would only have to pay them the difference (if there was a difference) between their remaining salary due at OSU and the money they’d make in their new position.

Otherwise, there are limits on the assistants and when they can hunt for a new job. They are prohibited from discussing a new collegiate post unless they do so during the time period from the end of the regular season and January 2nd (or after the national title game if the Buckeyes are playing for the championship).

The only time they can negotiate with a professional team is between the final day of the regular collegiate football season and January 15th.

And whether they’re considering continuing their career with another college team or in the NFL, they are required to submit written notice of their intention to interview for a new position to the OSU head coach and athletics director.

Those limits are relaxed slightly in the final year of the contract.

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