An anonymous message-board poster who has long claimed insider knowledge of UVA Athletics is, not surprisingly, wrong about a key detail on the contract status of Athletics Director Carla Williams.
The poster, who goes by the CB handle Mg234, asserted last week that UVA had extended the contract of Williams through 2030, and that the new contract has a “bigger buyout than TE has,” referring to football coach Tony Elliott.
This Mg234 person also asserted, in response to a question from another message-board poster, who wanted to know who was “the driving force” behind the extension, that it was “the new BOV,” the University of Virginia Board of Visitors.
The thread on the message board at The Sabre dates to Wednesday, Oct. 30, and is linked here.
To that point, I filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the University of Virginia that afternoon to get a copy of Williams’ current contract, as I had done back in July, getting in response to that request a copy of the contract extension that Williams had signed in 2021, and expires on May 31, 2025.
I got the response to last week’s FOIA request today.
The response from the UVA FOIA office was: a second, fresh copy of the contract extension that Williams signed back in 2021, and expires on May 31, 2025.
Which is to say: Carla Williams has not signed a new contract extension, not yet, anyway, and this, as of now nonexistent, new contract extension does not include a “bigger buyout than TE” has.
More on how I know that, about the relative size of buyouts, in a moment.
I have receipts.
As for the “driving force” behind the nonexistent contract extension being “the new BOV,” I can speak with certainty, from recent conversations with a BOV member, that there is no love lost between the new majority on that body and Williams.
To that point, the BOV member told me that the BOV has been made aware that Williams has been interviewing for other jobs.
I can’t independently verify that claim, but that it was shared with me matter of factly should be a signal as to the state of relations between the two sides.
Not good, would be my characterization of that relationship.
On the point of Tony Elliott’s buyout, I filed a FOIA request for Elliott’s contract, naturally, because that’s what you do, and got a copy of that in response from the UVA FOIA office today.
More proof that this Mg234 person isn’t the insider that he or she claims to be: Elliott’s buyout is quite hefty.
Looking at the language of Elliott’s deal, which runs through May 31, 2028, so, three years and six months past the end of the current football season, which ends on Nov. 30, if Elliott is to be terminated without cause at any point, he gets the remaining amount of his base salary, supplemental compensation, licensing royalties and a supplemental benefit plan “existing at the date of termination and for the remaining term.”
Which is to say, the buyout is the whole enchilada.
Per his deal, Elliott is paid $500,000 in base salary each June 1; $2.4 million in supplemental compensation on April 1, 2025, and April 1, 2026, and $2.55 million on April 1, 2027, and April 1, 2028; $1 million annually in licensing royalties; and UVA Athletics pays the premium on a $500,000 life insurance policy for Elliott under “supplemental benefit plan.”
I calculate that to come to $14.4 million, plus the insurance policy, that Elliott would be owed if he were to be terminated without cause after the 2024 season.
The buyout would drop to $10.5 million if he were to be let go after the 2025 season.
For reference, Williams’ annual salary, in the deal that she signed in 2021, and expires on May 31, 2025, is $1.09 million.
The termination without cause clause in her current deal entitles her to full compensation for the remainder of her contract term.
Even assuming that a next five-year contract for her would give her a raise, it would have to be a sizable raise to give her a buyout “bigger than TE has.”
Anybody can file a FOIA request, by the way.
It is easier to just make up stuff. I get that, too.
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Chris Graham
