A few things that I don’t think have been reported regarding Jeff Capel’s contract situation. I’ll say from the start that I don’t have every detail, but the general information here is interesting to say the least.
- Capel was hired in the spring of 2018 on a seven-year contract. This much is known. However, I have been told that Capel worked the entire first year of his deal without having signed the contract. From what I can gather, there were discrepancies between what had been verbally agreed-upon and what actually turned up in the contract, and this was an issue for Capel.
Whether those differences were resolved when he finally signed his contract a year later, I can’t say. But I have to think it set an interesting tone for his time at Pitt.
- With this in mind, the announced “two-year extension” that Capel received in Jan. 2020 was actually a one-year extension. It still takes his contract through the 2026-27 season, which is the end date we’ve all been operating on. But since the seven-year deal didn’t actually start until the 2019-20 season - on account of not being signed prior to the 2018-19 season - it’s really just a one-year extension.
- Of course, that still doesn’t answer the question of why an extension was given at that point; if anything, it’s even more curious. We’ve all said the extension was given in Year Two, which is accurate in terms of Capel’s tenure at Pitt. But in terms of his contract, the extension was given in Year One. Why do it then?
From what I understand, that extension was tied to the three-year probation Pitt was facing as a result of infractions on the part of Kevin Stallings and his coaching staff. The probation was announced in late Feb. 2020, roughly a month after Capel got his extension, and it sounds like the extension was made in connection with the coming probation.
- One of the great unanswered questions when the probation was announced was whether or not Capel knew it was coming when he took the job in 2018. I’m speculating here, but it’s possible he was not told and received an extension almost as sort of a make-up for inhering that situation. But again, that’s speculation; he might have known it was possible and got the extension when the NCAA handed down its decision.
- If you recall, the probation came as a result of self-reported violations by Stallings and his staff, and the assumption - rightful, I believe - was that it was part of a larger effort to lessen or avoid altogether Stallings’ buyout.
In a way, then, getting out of paying Stallings his buyout led rather directly to the current length of Capel’s deal.
And, by extension, the current buyout situation.
- Capel’s buyout has been reported in the $15-17 million range; from what I’m told, the actual number is on the high end of that range if Pitt decided to part ways with Capel this offseason. The number does drop next season, although it will probably still be a significant number (less than $10 million but more than $5 million). I’ve said for quite some time that I don’t think Pitt - the administration of the University - is very interested in shelling out that kind of cash to make a coach leave. Not this year, at least.
- I can’t 100% rule anything out because I learned a long time ago that nothing is ever 100%. But I still have a hard time seeing any change made this offseason.
- Regardless, I thought some of those other details were interesting. I don’t know if it changes much in your perception of the situation, but I don’t recall seeing much of that stuff before, so I thought I’d share it.
- Capel was hired in the spring of 2018 on a seven-year contract. This much is known. However, I have been told that Capel worked the entire first year of his deal without having signed the contract. From what I can gather, there were discrepancies between what had been verbally agreed-upon and what actually turned up in the contract, and this was an issue for Capel.
Whether those differences were resolved when he finally signed his contract a year later, I can’t say. But I have to think it set an interesting tone for his time at Pitt.
- With this in mind, the announced “two-year extension” that Capel received in Jan. 2020 was actually a one-year extension. It still takes his contract through the 2026-27 season, which is the end date we’ve all been operating on. But since the seven-year deal didn’t actually start until the 2019-20 season - on account of not being signed prior to the 2018-19 season - it’s really just a one-year extension.
- Of course, that still doesn’t answer the question of why an extension was given at that point; if anything, it’s even more curious. We’ve all said the extension was given in Year Two, which is accurate in terms of Capel’s tenure at Pitt. But in terms of his contract, the extension was given in Year One. Why do it then?
From what I understand, that extension was tied to the three-year probation Pitt was facing as a result of infractions on the part of Kevin Stallings and his coaching staff. The probation was announced in late Feb. 2020, roughly a month after Capel got his extension, and it sounds like the extension was made in connection with the coming probation.
- One of the great unanswered questions when the probation was announced was whether or not Capel knew it was coming when he took the job in 2018. I’m speculating here, but it’s possible he was not told and received an extension almost as sort of a make-up for inhering that situation. But again, that’s speculation; he might have known it was possible and got the extension when the NCAA handed down its decision.
- If you recall, the probation came as a result of self-reported violations by Stallings and his staff, and the assumption - rightful, I believe - was that it was part of a larger effort to lessen or avoid altogether Stallings’ buyout.
In a way, then, getting out of paying Stallings his buyout led rather directly to the current length of Capel’s deal.
And, by extension, the current buyout situation.
- Capel’s buyout has been reported in the $15-17 million range; from what I’m told, the actual number is on the high end of that range if Pitt decided to part ways with Capel this offseason. The number does drop next season, although it will probably still be a significant number (less than $10 million but more than $5 million). I’ve said for quite some time that I don’t think Pitt - the administration of the University - is very interested in shelling out that kind of cash to make a coach leave. Not this year, at least.
- I can’t 100% rule anything out because I learned a long time ago that nothing is ever 100%. But I still have a hard time seeing any change made this offseason.
- Regardless, I thought some of those other details were interesting. I don’t know if it changes much in your perception of the situation, but I don’t recall seeing much of that stuff before, so I thought I’d share it.
