I received a response to my public records request. I have not reviewed in detail, but thought I'd share.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aYs0arv_133O7pmKxN8vJGVukr86cuTp/view?usp=sharing


Short summary - Buyout is $950k per year. Actual salary is higher with retention bonus.




There's a provision stating that Knowlton gets an automatic raise (which would also increase his buyout) if he's not the 4th highest paid public university AD in the Pac-12 (what if it no longer exists?)

Also, numbers above do not include other bonuses which can total several hundred thousands of dollars.

Well, I'm a few moscow mules deep, but this definitely looks like ~950k/yr 100% guaranteed through 2029...

There are also significant yearly bonus opportunities for athletic achievements (230k-300k max, increasing 10k per year, but a lot are VERY unlikely), some academic bonuses (also starting at 230k and ending at 300k, GPA, GSR and APR -> 100-150k seems very attainable for these), and a yearly retention bonus paid on june 1 of the following year ( starting at 100k in 2022, increasing 50k per year, and ending with 450k in 2029).

There is also a clause to recalculate the talent fee periodically to ensure he is in the top 4 AD salaries of the public university members of the pac-12.

It does appear the bonuses are NOT paid if terminated early.

There are more clauses listed for termination with cause than a typical coaches contract, including:

8. Responsible Employee Athletic Director is considered a "Responsible
Employee" pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 ("Title
IX"). As a Responsible Employee, Athletic Director is required to inform the Title IX
Officer if Athletic Director becomes aware that a student (undergraduate, graduate, or
professional) has experienced sexual violence, sexual harassment, or other behavior
prohibited by University policy. Athletic Director must contact University's Title IX Office
as soon as possible when Athletic Director learns of an incident of sexual violence or sexual
harassment and share whatever information Athletic Director has, including the names of
any individuals involved, their contact information, and any details of the incident. As a
Responsible Employee, Athletic Director must report directly to the Title IX Office, even
if Athletic Director is unsure that the incident actually occurred or unsure whether it
constitutes sexual harassment or sexual violence. Athletic Director should not investigate
the report, and should not try to intervene or resolve the issue. While information must be
provided to the Title IX Office, Responsible Employees should not discuss the case with
other people who do not have a legitimate need to know.

However note the italicized sentence that I highlighted...

All I can say is may Knowlton usher us to a stable conference with some stable payments, or it's gonna be really really bad.

thx you bear goggles, please post this on the other boards if possible

this cannot be swept under the carpet

I really don't see any level of accountability with fully guaranteed contacts.

wifeisafurd said:

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I really don't see any level of accountability with fully guaranteed contacts.

---

100% accurate, knowlton leveraged/negotiated with chancellor christ for the fully guaranteed contract based upon his interviewing for the northwestern athletic department position

my chicago golf club (best golf course in the midwest, located in wheaton, 115 members) friend serves on the board of trustees for northwestern & has told me knowlton had no serious chance of getting hired

wifeisafurd said:

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I really don't see any level of accountability with fully guaranteed contacts.

---

It's absolutely insane.

What kind of idiot gives out contracts like these and where the heck were they when I was looking for a highly paid job with great security (not to mention doing something I would love to do)?

Big C said:

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What kind of idiot gives out contracts like these and where the heck were they when I was looking for a highly paid job with great security (not to mention doing something I would love to do)?

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And why do we have money for these lucrative contracts but are all of a sudden bankrupt when it requires actually investing for growth?

Econ141 said:

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Big C said:

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What kind of idiot gives out contracts like these and where the heck were they when I was looking for a highly paid job with great security (not to mention doing something I would love to do)?

---

And why do we have money for these lucrative contracts but are all of a sudden bankrupt when it requires actually investing for growth?

---

Whining about UCLA taking away their value? So we can give $millions to Knowlton and so he can throw away $millions while killing our programs?

I have been shocked by that salary for sometime. It is far more than any other administrator. For example, the salary for Lawrence Livermore lab director is 400k. Far more complicated finances and a 2.4 billion budget. I am guessing the vice chancellor of development who has a much more complicated job of raising funds makes a third of this. He is only paid this much cause of how awful Williams was.

BearGoggles said:

---

I received a response to my public records request. I have not reviewed in detail, but thought I'd share.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aYs0arv_133O7pmKxN8vJGVukr86cuTp/view?usp=sharing


Short summary - Buyout is $950k per year. Actual salary is higher with retention bonus.




There's a provision stating that Knowlton gets an automatic raise (which would also increase his buyout) if he's not the 4th highest paid public university AD in the Pac-12 (what if it no longer exists?)

Also, numbers above do not include other bonuses which can total several hundred thousands of dollars.

---

This really bugs me. We should absolutely be committed to spending to make our athletic department top 4 in the conference. But this is the kind of clause you insert for someone who has demonstrated that they deserve to be top 4. Saban has one of these, for example. What has Knowlton done to suggest he deserves to be Top 4? Absolutely nothing.

ColoradoBear said:

---

There are more clauses listed for termination with cause than a typical coaches contract, including:

8. Responsible Employee Athletic Director is considered a "Responsible
Employee" pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 ("Title
IX"). As a Responsible Employee, Athletic Director is required to inform the Title IX
Officer if Athletic Director becomes aware that a student (undergraduate, graduate, or
professional) has experienced sexual violence, sexual harassment, or other behavior
prohibited by University policy. Athletic Director must contact University's Title IX Office
as soon as possible when Athletic Director learns of an incident of sexual violence or sexual
harassment and share whatever information Athletic Director has, including the names of
any individuals involved, their contact information, and any details of the incident. As a
Responsible Employee, Athletic Director must report directly to the Title IX Office, even
if Athletic Director is unsure that the incident actually occurred or unsure whether it
constitutes sexual harassment or sexual violence. Athletic Director should not investigate
the report, and should not try to intervene or resolve the issue. While information must be
provided to the Title IX Office, Responsible Employees should not discuss the case with
other people who do not have a legitimate need to know.

---

This is the fire-able offense.

Shocky1 said:

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wifeisafurd said:

---

I really don't see any level of accountability with fully guaranteed contacts.

---

100% accurate, knowlton leveraged/negotiated with chancellor christ for the fully guaranteed contract based upon his interviewing for the northwestern athletic department position

my chicago golf club (best golf course in the midwest, located in wheaton, 115 members) friend serves on the board of trustees for northwestern & has told me knowlton had no serious chance of getting hired

---

wow, just wow.

Shocky1 said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

I really don't see any level of accountability with fully guaranteed contacts.

---

100% accurate, knowlton leveraged/negotiated with chancellor christ for the fully guaranteed contract based upon his interviewing for the northwestern athletic department position

my chicago golf club (best golf course in the midwest, located in wheaton, 115 members) friend serves on the board of trustees for northwestern & has told me knowlton had no serious chance of getting hired

---

You are attempting to help Cal. You want people to take you seriously on a serious topic. But yet, you have to make it about you, YOUR golf club, and how good it is, blah blah blah. Who effing cares? Why can't you say you have a friend who is on the Board of Trustees et. al. and leave it at that? Do you think we need to be impressed with your golfing venues (and how they rate) to have interest and/or buy-in to the issue you have raised?
So, so the opposite...

mbBear said:

---

Shocky1 said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

I really don't see any level of accountability with fully guaranteed contacts.

---

100% accurate, knowlton leveraged/negotiated with chancellor christ for the fully guaranteed contract based upon his interviewing for the northwestern athletic department position

my chicago golf club (best golf course in the midwest, located in wheaton, 115 members) friend serves on the board of trustees for northwestern & has told me knowlton had no serious chance of getting hired

---

You are attempting to help Cal. You want people to take you seriously on a serious topic. But yet, you have to make it about you, YOUR golf club, and how good it is, blah blah blah. Who effing cares? Why can't you say you have a friend who is on the Board of Trustees et. al. and leave it at that? Do you think we need to be impressed with your golfing venues (and how they rate) to have interest and/or buy-in to the issue you have raised?
So, so the opposite...

---

wow. The guy references his source and this guy goes nuts. Go to a meeting

cal83dls79 said:

---

mbBear said:

---

Shocky1 said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

I really don't see any level of accountability with fully guaranteed contacts.

---

100% accurate, knowlton leveraged/negotiated with chancellor christ for the fully guaranteed contract based upon his interviewing for the northwestern athletic department position

my chicago golf club (best golf course in the midwest, located in wheaton, 115 members) friend serves on the board of trustees for northwestern & has told me knowlton had no serious chance of getting hired

---

You are attempting to help Cal. You want people to take you seriously on a serious topic. But yet, you have to make it about you, YOUR golf club, and how good it is, blah blah blah. Who effing cares? Why can't you say you have a friend who is on the Board of Trustees et. al. and leave it at that? Do you think we need to be impressed with your golfing venues (and how they rate) to have interest and/or buy-in to the issue you have raised?
So, so the opposite...

---

wow. The guy references his source and this guy goes nuts. Go to a meeting

---

We are starting to eat our own here, but I think our general outrage is going to be a catalyst for needed change.

mbBear said:

---

Shocky1 said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

I really don't see any level of accountability with fully guaranteed contacts.

---

100% accurate, knowlton leveraged/negotiated with chancellor christ for the fully guaranteed contract based upon his interviewing for the northwestern athletic department position

my chicago golf club (best golf course in the midwest, located in wheaton, 115 members) friend serves on the board of trustees for northwestern & has told me knowlton had no serious chance of getting hired

---

You are attempting to help Cal. You want people to take you seriously on a serious topic. But yet, you have to make it about you, YOUR golf club, and how good it is, blah blah blah. Who effing cares? Why can't you say you have a friend who is on the Board of Trustees et. al. and leave it at that? Do you think we need to be impressed with your golfing venues (and how they rate) to have interest and/or buy-in to the issue you have raised?
So, so the opposite...

---

You are the one deflecting, making it about Shocky instead of about Knowlton. He merely gave context so we would understand the validity of the information he provided, which is very believable by the way. I doubted Northwestern seriously considered Knowlton (and would have been happy to see him go if they did), all Shocky is doing is confirming that they did not and explaining how he knows this.

mbBear said:

---

You are attempting to help Cal. You want people to take you seriously on a serious topic. But yet, you have to make it about you, YOUR golf club, and how good it is, blah blah blah. Who effing cares? Why can't you say you have a friend who is on the Board of Trustees et. al. and leave it at that? Do you think we need to be impressed with your golfing venues (and how they rate) to have interest and/or buy-in to the issue you have raised?

---

Shocky was merely providing CONTEXT.
Everyone here could plainly see that.
It was helpful.
No big deal.

And yet, you have a MELTDOWN.

You people defending Shockey, the most arrogant, sexist, tiresome poster in the history of this board, are pathetic.

Chapman_is_Gone said:

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You people defending Shockey, the most arrogant, sexist, tiresome poster in the history of this board, are pathetic.

---

have no idea about this guy. Obviously you have an axe to grind. Check yourself before you make blanket statements. He provided context and the guy blasts him for no apparent reason other than belonging to a country club.

Chapman_is_Gone said:

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You people defending Shockey, the most arrogant, sexist, tiresome poster in the history of this board, are pathetic.

---

I don't happen to agree with you, but its irrelevant. The fact that you make it your personal mission to attack the guy incessantly (rather than just ignore him) is equally tiresome. What did your ad hominem post add to the discussion? Shocky at least shared relevant information which is more than you can claim.

Is there evidence of sexual assault and knowlton interfering with an investigation? The swim thing was emotional abuse, I thought. Not that it should be ok, but that contract only talks about sex assault and hampering investigations. Haven't heard anything about that in fhe AD, or is there?

bearsandgiants said:

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Is there evidence of sexual assault and knowlton interfering with an investigation? The swim thing was emotional abuse, I thought. Not that it should be ok, but that contract only talks about sex assault and hampering investigations. Haven't heard anything about that in fhe AD, or is there?

---

Read Section 10 of the contract. Knowlton can be fired for failing to follow university policies, failure to "properly represent" Cal which includes acts/situations that embarrass Cal, etc. Read subsection (h) which interestingly includes certain types of acts of Knowlton's subordinates if Knowlton has actual knowledge. There's also a general morals clause.

Time will tell if the swimming situation rises to this level. An employment/labor attorney will better know what standards apply in real life.

bearsandgiants said:

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Is there evidence of sexual assault and knowlton interfering with an investigation? The swim thing was emotional abuse, I thought. Not that it should be ok, but that contract only talks about sex assault and hampering investigations. Haven't heard anything about that in fhe AD, or is there?

---

There is an accusation of bullying and racial harassment of the black swimmers which is a violation of university policy, California law and US law (especially as the university is a contractor to the US government). That is the one McKeever's lawyer is fighting the hardest because it carries the greatest legal and professional consequences.

That Knowlton was reportedly informed of it by swimmers and their parents and did nothing is itself a violation of university policy, California law and US law.

We need Christ to step up and put on her big girl pants and just fire the guy.

He will sue the university, we will settle. There is gross negligence to the swim team and just complete incompetence in general.

Also to other posters pointing out that he is guaranteed to be paid 4th? I can think of 11 ADs (including the mess at ASU) that is performing better than Knowlton in the pac12. Our basketball program is about to be relegated to D3. He got his 10 year extension by interviewing around, and of course Wilcox followed suit and did the same.

I hate apathy. I hate incompetence. I hate losing. Knolwton is all of the above.

It's what's not in the AD's position description that's worth every penny to the decision makers on campus. People who continue to talk about incompetence are obviously blind to what Cal has been doing with intention for many years now. Wake up people. And stop throwing your hard earned money into this fire pit. If you think there's the slightest chance it's going to turn around, you're delirious.

Northside91 said:

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It's what's not in the AD's position description that's worth every penny to the decision makers on campus. People who continue to talk about incompetence are obviously blind to what Cal has been doing with intention for many years now. Wake up people. And stop throwing your hard earned money into this fire pit. If you think there's the slightest chance it's going to turn around, you're delirious.

---

It is one reason the empowerment of independent boosters and NIL payments for players can actually be good for Cal. I trust our smart, passionate and wealthy alumni base more than the Smith and Army grads that get assigned to us.

For all of the chest thumping and back patting we're doing for having a supposed 91% graduation success rate, our APR is tied for 5th in the Pac12, at 975. And because it's so low, even if we go 5-7, there are a dozen schools with 5-7 records that would be chosen ahead of us for the last remaining bowl slots. Currently there are 8 slots that would go unfilled if the season were to end today. Another failure of the AD, imo.

calumnus said:

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mbBear said:

---

Shocky1 said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

I really don't see any level of accountability with fully guaranteed contacts.

---

100% accurate, knowlton leveraged/negotiated with chancellor christ for the fully guaranteed contract based upon his interviewing for the northwestern athletic department position

my chicago golf club (best golf course in the midwest, located in wheaton, 115 members) friend serves on the board of trustees for northwestern & has told me knowlton had no serious chance of getting hired

---

You are attempting to help Cal. You want people to take you seriously on a serious topic. But yet, you have to make it about you, YOUR golf club, and how good it is, blah blah blah. Who effing cares? Why can't you say you have a friend who is on the Board of Trustees et. al. and leave it at that? Do you think we need to be impressed with your golfing venues (and how they rate) to have interest and/or buy-in to the issue you have raised?
So, so the opposite...

---

You are the one deflecting, making it about Shocky instead of about Knowlton. He merely gave context so we would understand the validity of the information he provided, which is very believable by the way. I doubted Northwestern seriously considered Knowlton (and would have been happy to see him go if they did), all Shocky is doing is confirming that they did not and explaining how he knows this.

---

What part did you miss? When I said he was talking about a serious subject, or the fact that he was distracting from having people buy-in to the serious subject?
If you are impressed by him, then good on you....he got what he wanted to accomplish.

cal83dls79 said:

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Chapman_is_Gone said:

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You people defending Shockey, the most arrogant, sexist, tiresome poster in the history of this board, are pathetic.

---

have no idea about this guy. Obviously you have an axe to grind. Check yourself before you make blanket statements. He provided context and the guy blasts him for no apparent reason other than belonging to a country club.

---

Are you new here or to Cal boards? "Axe to grind" is hilarious....the examples of "arrogant and sexist" are daily postings. He will now turn around and call one of us a Berkeley feminist in an attempt to lash back. But hey, maybe you like when he posts pictures of his daughter because he perceives her to be attractive...if that works for that family, then, right, "no apparent reason".............

mbBear said:

---

cal83dls79 said:

---

Chapman_is_Gone said:

---

You people defending Shockey, the most arrogant, sexist, tiresome poster in the history of this board, are pathetic.

---

have no idea about this guy. Obviously you have an axe to grind. Check yourself before you make blanket statements. He provided context and the guy blasts him for no apparent reason other than belonging to a country club.

---

Are you new here or to Cal boards? "Axe to grind" is hilarious....the examples of "arrogant and sexist" are daily postings. He will now turn around and call one of us a Berkeley feminist in an attempt to lash back. But hey, maybe you like when he posts pictures of his daughter because he perceives her to be attractive...if that works for that family, then, right, "no apparent reason".............

---

i can't argue with your history here. I have several thousand posts shy of 6500 like yourself, but not new to the board. I found his post informative and an example of the absolutely poor negotiating skills of Cal admin. A ten year deal? Are you kidding me? Who does that in todays modern age of college sports especially if you can't unwind it? Now we are stuck with him. Of course he's going to sign "his" guys to long term deals, lavish unearned bonuses. Did the same thing in my professional life. I see these names constantly on this site Shocky, dunker, bearister, Koream, ducky, fiat, and can't remember who said what and when. I have a few regrets but I think alumnus said something that resonated with me in that "we are starting to eat our own". I couldn't agree more

Don't feel like reading the 30 pages given that his boss clearly doesn't give a sh*t about Knowlton's performance, but for those who did, I'm curious if there's anything in the contract about gross negligence, malfeasance, dereliction of duty, etc.?

PtownBear1 said:

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Don't feel like reading the 30 pages given that his boss clearly doesn't give a sh*t about Knowlton's performance, but for those who did, I'm curious if there's anything in the contract about gross negligence, malfeasance, dereliction of duty, etc.?

---

Bless you for living in an alternate universe. That last part is valued rather than being a basis for adverse action. It's WHY he's being richly rewarded. He wasn't hired to build. He was hired to destroy.

People who believe this is a "conspiracy theory" (or whatever you want to call this particular reality that Cal fans don't want to face) are blind to the intentions of administrators outside of the AD at Cal. Dismantling can be every bit as expensive as building in some cases.

So we're fked for the next 7 year?

remb8888 said:

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So we're fked for the next 7 year?

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We've been fked for the past 60. The next 7 are the final nails in this coffin. Enjoy next year because it is effectively the last (and a shell at that).