Legal Commentary

You may have heard about the post-game press conference exchange between a Connecticut political reporter and UConn men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun.  Here's the clip:

Calhoun raises the following justifications for his salary:

• I want to retire some day.

Well, we all do, don't we?

• I make a lot more than that.

So, you make a lot more than $1.6 million?  What, do you have a hedge fund on the side?  Perhaps you sell your own sculptures?  A cottage business on eBay?  Oh no, that extra money would be based on endorsements you make -- perhaps because of your state job?

• We bring in $12 million to the university.

This argument has been getting this most play.  First off, Rick Green of the Hartford Courant offered this analysis:

Mike Enright, a UConn associate athletic director, told me Calhoun's $12 million figure is "in the ballpark." But that does not include the basketball program's $6 million in expenses. To get to Calhoun's "over $12 million" figure, take the $7 million from TV, radio and ticket revenues from men's basketball games. Then add about a third of the $20 million UConn gets from fundraising, which is roughly the amount that basketball contributes. That brings you to the $12 million to $13 million that Calhoun says he brings in, Enright said.

So, minus expenses, it's really about $6 million, largely in alumni donations.  A pretty good return.  But is Jim Calhoun solely responsible for generating that $6 million?  What about the AD?  What about the assistant coaches?  What about the University who provides the facilities?  And what about the players?  Surely, the players are in some way responsible for the $6 million?  Oh, that's right, they're fungible students -- and they're getting a scholarship.  You know, I hope that gets mentioned by someone in all this (besides me).  Calhoun is making $1.6 million (plus) and his players get scholarships. 

Of course, it's not his fault, he could argue, that the system is set up this way.  And if you look at these other salaries, he may even be underpaid by market standards.  But he didn't make those arguments.  Calhoun may be contractually entitled to $1.6 million, but he sure does a lousy job in defending it.