DMN Reports Art Briles Paid $15.1 Million in Contract Settlement; Ken Starr Paid $4.5 Million

The Dallas Morning News obtained Baylor’s 990 filing and found that Baylor paid Art Briles $15.1 million in the settlement reached between the university and the former head football coach. Per the same report, Ken Starr was paid $4.5 million.

As I’m sure everyone reading this blog is aware, Briles was suspended with the intent to terminate in May of 2016 after the Board of Regents (B.O.R.) was presented with findings of fact in an oral presentation from Pepper Hamilton, a Philidelphia law firm. We’ve learned through filings by individual members of the B.O.R.—in response to lawsuits—that the vote for removal was 24-6.

Starr was removed as president and chancellor and was originally slated to take a tenure track position in the law school. He ended up resigning that post before he taught classes at the law school.

Ian McCaw was suspended but not removed by the B.OR. He ended up resigning as athletic director. According to the report, he was paid $761,059, or his annual salary.

Per that same report by Chuck Carlton, Briles had a buyout of $39 million. Briles and the university came to a $15.1 million settlement, instead of the university attempting to fire him for cause, or Briles attempting to recoup the entire buyout.

Baylor’s 2015 990 filing revealed that Briles made $6.2 million in his final season as head coach.

Starr was paid $1.4 million in his final full year as president, per the 2015 990 filing.