Florida Re-Signs Coach Donovan

Billy Donovan, current head coach of the Florida Gators men’s basketball team, has re-signed to coach at Florida through the 2012-2013 season. The contract is apparently worth about 19.5 million, excluding any incentives that he might earn. According to the article about the contract, Billy Donovan could receive about a quarter million dollars if the Gators win another championship while he’s coaching the team. On the flip side, if he’s caught violating NCAA rules and is fired for that reason, he’ll receive just one month’s salary severance.

This contract is bigger news than it otherwise would be because Billy Donovan was involved in a rather embarrassing and public scandal last year. He briefly signed on to coach the NBA’s Orlando Magic, but left about two days after agreeing to the job in order to re-join the Florida Gators. The debate rages over whether he made the right decision. Some people game Donovan guff for changing his mind, but others think he made the right decision, ultimately. The Final Four Blog would also like to commend Florida for making the move to keep Donovan, who is an excellent coach. Florida is acting wisely to make sure his golden parachute if he leaves in disgrace is fairly small. Other universities should follow suit.

To get NCAA basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

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