By John Archibald and Kyle Whitmire

The issue is not about UAB football. It is about connections. And money.

We wrote this week about business and personal ties between UAB Senior Vice President Shirley Salloway Kahn and Theresa Harper Bruno, that Bruno was brought in and paid mightily to help in the spin surrounding Ray Watts' decision to shut down football.

But she wasn't brought in just for the football fiasco. If we gave that implication, we gave the wrong one.

Bruno's role at UAB is much broader than that, and her work -- and pay -- far pre-dates the collapse of football.

These are the facts:

In the last four and a half years, Bruno was paid about $1.2 million as a consultant for UAB. This does not include money paid to her media company, Thesis Media & Consulting LLC, which created ads and bought time for UAB ad campaigns.

The $1.2 million was largely for consulting and other services provided at Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, where she served in various capacities. The center's website lists Bruno as both the chairman of the board and the acting executive director. Although she is not an actual employee of UAB, Bruno is paid an $18,750 monthly retainer for work that includes "setting the direction" of the ASC.

The center even lists an "executive assistant to Theresa Bruno," who is paid modestly by UAB.

Throughout her time at UAB, Bruno has worked directly under her friend, Kahn, who as UAB vice president has overseen the Alys Stephens Center.

Bruno and Kahn are also in business together outside the university. The two opened Jordan Alexander, a jewelry store in Mountain Brook and leased space from Kahn Properties.

Bruno has said the store is named after the oldest sons of Bruno and her business partner. Bruno has a son named Jordan -- a former ticket sales rep at Alys Stephens Center. Kahn has a son named Alexander.

Kahn has not listed the business on her statement of economic interest filed with the Alabama Ethics Commission. State employees are required to disclose such interests under Alabama's ethics laws if ownership is more than 5 percent.

To kick off the Campaign for UAB: Theresa Bruno, Shirley Salloway Kahn, Mike Warren, Protective Life CEO Johnny Johns and UAB President Ray Watts (UAB photo)

Another Alys Stephens employee -- marketing consultant Anna Tucker -- also works for Thesis Media, another Bruno company with ties to UAB.

When registering its Internet domain last August, Thesis Media -- which still has no website -- listed Bruno as the registrant and an email address for a jcheatwood. Joel Cheatwood is listed on jewelry store fliers as manager of Jordan Alexander. According to his Facebook page, Cheatwood is a former employee of the Alys Stephens Center.

Last spring, Dale Turnbough retired as the associate vice president over public relations and marketing at UAB, a position under Kahn. Bruno -- Kahn's business associate -- was asked to fill Turnbough's position temporarily, and was paid an additional $10,000 a month for the job.

That brought her total consultant pay from UAB to $28,750 per month. She continues to serve in that role because, as a UAB spokesman put it, "the position has not been filled as quickly as anticipated."

Bruno incorporated Thesis in June of last year.

Also in June -- not long after Bruno took on her new role in the marketing department -- UAB notified BLR Further, the company that had provided its marketing services and created the "Knowledge That Will Change Your World" campaign, that it would not be retained. BLR Further's last day was September 30, 2014.

On Oct. 9, 2014, UAB signed a contract with Bruno's own Thesis Media. Bruno came in, the old marketing company was fired, and Bruno's was hired.

UAB spokesman Jim Bakken said no request for proposals was issued when Thesis Media was hired.

"Thesis Media was hired to do media placement and production at a discounted fee agreement under a short-term contract as a stop-gap measure with the approval of the UAB Executive Cabinet," he said.

The short-term contract lasts for two years. And the rate will pay Thesis up to $2 million in total billings. The company so far has been paid more than $723,000 since October, although much of it went for ad purchases, and not directly into Bruno's pocket.

On Sept. 29 of last year, UAB President Ray Watts made Kahn senior vice president over development, alumni and marketing, in a signed letter that added the promotion was "In recognition of your extraordinary performance."

Both Kahn and Bruno served on the presidential search committee that recommended hiring Watts.

In short, Bruno is being paid by UAB (under the direction of her friend and business associate) to work at least three jobs -- to guide Alys Stephens, run the UAB marketing department, and place and produce ads and media through an outside company.

And she still runs a jewelry store.

As UAB's magazine put it last year -- after she had been hired in the "temporary" marketing role -- "these days, when she is not traveling to promote her furniture and jewelry, she is active in supporting and promoting UAB's Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center. She is chair of the ASC Corporate Board and says getting to meet some of the artists who have come to perform at the ASC has been a joy."

"It's like I got the best gift in the world," she told the magazine.