U of L releases coaching contracts, salary info for new assistant coaches

Jake Lourim | Courier Journal

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The University of Louisville has released contracts for its new assistant football coaches, detailing the coaches' salaries.

The contracts, obtained by the USA TODAY Network via open-records request, also have more specific language and add clauses regarding compliance with the school's nepotism policy for the three assistant coaches related to head coach Bobby Petrino.

Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, linebackers coach Ryan Beard and cornerbacks coach Grady Brown are the three assistants new to the staff this season.

VanGorder signed a three-year contract paying him $950,000 per year. Only 16 assistants made more last season, according to USA TODAY's assistant coach salary database.

Beard, who was previously a quality control assistant on Louisville's staff, is under contract for only this season at $150,000 per year. Brown's is a one-year deal worth $200,000 per year.

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All three coaches signed their contracts in the past month. Louisville previously said the delay from when the three coaches started working last winter was because the school was spending extra time on all of its contracts to refine the language.

Beard, Brown and VanGorder's contracts are 12-14 pages long. Contracts in previous years were 5-7 pages.

In the contracts for Beard and defensive line coach L.D. Scott (Petrino's sons-in-law) and quarterbacks coach Nick Petrino (Bobby's son), the agreement dictates that their employment is "subject to the University's nepotism policy and the submission, approval, and execution of the Nepotism Management Exception Plan."

Beard, Scott and Nick Petrino report to athletic director Vince Tyra, according to their contracts, "or his designee in accordance with the applicable Nepotism Management Exception Plan."

In the management exception plan for Beard, signed Feb. 7, the football program has signified that Beard will report to Tyra and VanGorder.

Jake Lourim: 502-582-4168; jlourim@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @jakelourim. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/jakel.