For first time at ASU, no contract extension for Todd Graham

Jeff Metcalfe | The Republic | azcentral.com

Show Caption Hide Caption ASU not extending Todd Graham's contract by one year Arizona State is not extending football coach Todd Graham's contract by one year as it has done annually in the past, leaving Graham under contract for less than five years for the first time since his arrival.

Arizona State is not extending football coach Todd Graham's contract by one year as it has done annually in the past, leaving Graham under contract for less than five years for the first time since his arrival.

ASU is coming off two consecutive losing seasons going into Graham's sixth season. He is under contract through June 30, 2021 – a period covering the 2017-2020 seasons – per terms of an amended contract approved last year by the Arizona Board of Regents.

Graham received one-year contract extensions in September 2013, June 2014, September 2015 and June 2016, keeping his contract length at its original five years. Now, he will have four years left on his contract going into this season and three after the 2017 season.

ASU Vice President for Athletics Ray Anderson said a contract extension for Graham is not mandatory although his contract reads: "If grounds do not exist for termination for cause, ASU will ask the board to extend coach's contract for one additional year following completion of the 2016 football season."

Anderson said, "That’s not an automatic provision in the contract. It wasn’t rolled over because it didn’t need to be rolled over."

Graham had no comment on the decision not to extend his contract.

Because Graham is not receiving an extension, the penalty he would have to pay for leaving ASU for another job falls from $1.5 million to $1 million for the remainder of his contract.

If ASU replaces Graham at some point, he is owed 100 percent of the remainder of his annual salary, which is $3.2 million as of Jan. 1, 2017. Graham also has a number of athletic and academic salary bonus opportunities in his contract.

In five seasons, Graham is 39-26 at ASU. His teams were 28-12 from 2012-14 and 11-14 since. The 39 wins is the most over five years since 41 from 1978-82. The Sun Devils won the Pac-12 South in 2013 when Graham was Pac-12 Coach of the Year.

Anderson has been ASU athletic director since January 2014, previously working in the NFL. He remains supportive of Graham but not extending his contract makes business sense in reducing a potential contract buyout if it becomes necessary.

"We continue to have the right culture in terms of what we expect from our student-athletes and their leader as their football coach," Anderson said. "I think we have recruited at a high level. I think we have been able to bring on coaching and staff for those that left that will elevate us.

"The notion that sometimes you have to look in the mirror and change how you do things and incorporate the advice and counsel of others gives me great confidence that those things are going to translate into a very successful season in football."

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Arizona Republic reporter Anne Ryman contributed to this report.