Bad Boy

Last night the popular coach of the University of Tennessee men's basketball team was fired along with his assistant coaches. If you want to read about the sordid situation of now former coach Bruce Pearl, go here.

I have no pony in this show. I neither root for nor against Tennessee. I don't follow their games in any sport and I haven't rabidly followed the undoing of the coaching staff. The reason I am writing this post has to do with the terms of separation as reported by CBS Sports. To wit,

Head men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl will be paid at his current salary rate through June 30, 2011. He will also receive $50,000 per month for 12 months, from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012, and will also receive health insurance costs. This cumulative figure is $948,728. Additionally, the men’s basketball coaching staff will each be paid at their current salary rate through July 31, 2011.

To me, this situation is all too typical of the corporate mindset. While some of Pearl's assistant coaches have allegedly been guilty of wrongdoing as part of the investigation conducted by the NCAA, the major onus for the more serious wrongdoings fall squarely on Pearl himself. He is the one who out-and-out lied to his own administration and NCAA investigators on more than one occasion.

Despite the fact that Pearl is the primary person responsible for the downfall of his entire staff, he gets to come out of the firing sitting pretty, while his less well-paid staff gets the short end of the stick!!

The severance package for each assistant coach only lasts for about 4 months and there is no indication that the university will continue to cover THEIR health insurance costs until July. Once the end of July comes, each of them is on their own completely.

The head coach, on the other hand, will receive more than one-half million dollars over the next 16 months PLUS health care coverage for the entire period.

Talk about economic waste and injustice!