Non-Pilfering Clause for coaches?

Cougar Football
#1

This is interesting. Kent State has a provision in their new coach’s contract that would prevent them from pilfering talent on their way out.

Outside of Sanders, Burns at Kent State has the most nuanced and detailed contract. Along with the ticket sales and gambling clauses mentioned above, Burns cannot contact or recruit Kent State players within one year of leaving Kent State, and the football budget can be aided by playing Power 5 nonconference games (aka “money guarantee games”). This same game clause was put in former head coach Sean Lewis’ last contract because the Golden Flashes play so many of them.

The risk I guess is an up-and-coming coach not taking the job knowing that this provision might make them less attractive to more desirable schools, but my guess is that most coaches would take that risk.

#2

That sounds hard to enforce

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#3

The NCAA has a lot of enforcement on player-coach contact. Coaches have to (or at least historically have had to) disclose contact with players. I’m sure there are ways around it - especially for players who actively want to follow their coach - but it would limit a coach’s ability to actively sell their new program to recruits.

#4

It may be hard for the NCAA to enforce, but it shouldn’t be hard for a court of law to enforce. A contract is just that.

#5

So once coach moves on Kent St won’t pay him anymore if he violates this clause?

I’m not a lawyer but I play one on CoogFans

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#6

I assume there would be some penalty involved, like if you break a non-compete agreement. The last one my wife signed was 3x annual salary. Either annual salary of a job she takes, or her salary at the previous employer, whichever is higher. I had one that was 130% of earnings while breaking the agreement.

#7

It’s a good thing. Riley took Caleb Williams with him to USC. Got paid to him to OU and then got paid to take him to USC.