Sean Miller to forfeit $1 million if criminally charged or found guilty of NCAA violation

Arizona's head men's basketball coach Sean Miller would forfeit $1 million if he commits a major NCAA violation or is criminally charged related to his employment, under an amended contract approved by the Arizona Board of Regents Friday.

University of Arizona Athletic Director Dave Heeke said Miller supported the contract amendment.

"We felt this is a very positive step going forward as we deal with, quite frankly, a world of speculation, a world of rush to judgement attitude," he said.

UA President Robert C. Robbins said he appreciates Miller stepping up and putting some "skin" into the ever-changing, fast-paced world of accusations.

"We obviously supported Coach Miller through a very difficult time," he said. "And we look forward to him having great success and being our coach for a very long time."

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The $1 million penalty is in addition to a "claw back" provisions that was already exist in Miller's contract if he were to be terminated for cause. His current contract allows the university to take back any bonuses and up to $300,000 for major or repetitive NCAA violations.

The new contract language comes after a tumultuous year for the Wildcats that saw Miller's long-time assistant, Emanuel "Book" Richardson, indicted for bribery and fraud as part of a widespread FBI investigation into NCAA basketball.

Miller himself was the subject of a February ESPN article, alleging FBI wiretaps heard him talking with a sports agent about paying $100,000 to ensure star player Deandre Ayton signed with the Wildcats. An attorney for the Ayton family has denied any payment, and Miller has called the allegations "false and defamatory."

Contracts are typically reviewed annually

The regents, who oversee Arizona's three state universities, typically review the multiyear contracts of head football and basketball coaches annually. They may add new contract language or opt to extend the number of years to maintain five-year contracts.

Miller's contract was last updated in February 2017. The $1 million penalty is the biggest change to his contract this year.

SEE ALSO: Arizona could be facing rebuilding year after early exit from NCAA Tournament

Under the new terms, the $1 million will come out of a "longevity bonus" in stock that was set up by a private donor for Miller in 2014 and is due to be paid to him in May 2020. As of Tuesday, Miller's vested share in the stock, Andeavor Logistics LP, was worth $4.1 million.

Documents presented to the regents this week also, for the first time, publicly identify the name of the company that holds Miller's longevity stock.

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Until now, neither the regents nor the University of Arizona had publicly disclosed the company's name, although the news media has previously reported the name of the company as Western Refining Logistics. In October, Andeavor Logistics acquired Western Logistics.

Miller's other contract terms will remain the same. His employment will still run through May 31, 2022 with annual increases of $100,000 over the next three years to bring his guaranteed compensation to at least $2.9 million a year.

Here's how his compensation breaks down:

His base salary of $1.5 million increases by $100,000 annually, from July 2018 through July 2020.

He earns another $700,000 a year in related compensation for radio and television and speaking engagements.

He has endorsement deals worth $400,000 a year with Nike and IMG, which is a sports, entertainment and media company.

Miller can earn bonuses if the team wins a certain number of games and the players have a certain cumulative GPA.

Miller's salary comes from two main sources: athletic-department revenues and endorsement deals. He doesn't get paid from tuition or state funds.

The men's basketball program is a major money-maker for the athletics department, second only to football. Men's basketball brought in $23 million in revenues in fiscal 2017 and, after expenses, netted $12.7 million.

That profit, combined with profits from football, helps support other UA athletic programs.

Reach the reporter at 602-444-8072 or anne.ryman@arizonarepublic.com.