What you need to know in Wichita State basketball coach Isaac Brown’s 5-year contract
The ink is dry on a five-year contract worth a total of $6 million between Wichita State University and men’s basketball coach Isaac Brown.
The complete contract, 14 pages in total and officially signed on Wednesday, was made public Thursday through an open records request by The Eagle.
Many of the major details of the five-year contract that runs from May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2026 were already known through the letter of intent signed between the two parties. That was back on March 4, when it was announced that Brown, who began the season as the program’s interim coach, was being made the permanent head coach.
Brown will be paid $1 million for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, $1.25 million for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons and $1.5 million for the 2025-26 season.
The contract also stipulates that Brown is unable to break his contract and leave for another job before the 2023-24 season, keeping him at WSU for at least the first three years of his contract. If he leaves for another job between May 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025, he would have to pay back half of his remaining salary ($1.375 million). If he leaves between May 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026, then Brown would have to pay 25% of his remaining salary ($375,000).
Following the separation agreement signed with former coach Gregg Marshall, which pays him a total of $7.75 million spread out over the next six years, WSU has given itself more flexibility in Brown’s contract.
After Marshall resigned last November following an internal investigation into physical and mental abuse allegations made against the coach, it’s not a surprise that WSU has added new language in its next contract with a head coach for reasons that would allow WSU to fire him with cause.
In Brown’s contract, two specific reasons (of the 15 given) stood out:
- Requiring a student-athlete to perform a physical act that is not relevant to the sport of men’s basketball but is, instead, obviously intended to embarrass or degrade a student-athlete.
- Engaging in deliberate physical contact with a student-athlete or (WSU) employee that is obviously not necessary for instructional purposes (but not including occasional appropriate supportive or congratulatory physical contact).
If WSU terminates Brown without cause in the first three years of his contract — or before May 1, 2024 — the university would owe Brown the amount equal to the remaining balance on Brown’s contract.
WSU could buy Brown out of his contract in the fourth or fifth year by paying half of his remaining salary.
The following is incentive compensation for Brown:
- 20-plus regular-season wins ($20,000)
- AAC regular season championship ($25,000)
- AAC tournament championship ($20,000)
- AAC Coach of the Year ($25,000)
- National Coach of the Year ($50,000)
- Multi-year APR of 950-plus or team GPA of 3.00-plus ($15,000)
- NCAA Tournament appearance ($25,000)
- NCAA Round of 32 win ($20,000)
- NCAA Elite Eight win ($20,000)
- NCAA Final Four win ($50,000)
- NCAA national championship ($100,000)
- NIT Final Four win ($15,000)
There is also new language in the contract that is likely a result of new landscape of college athletics after the coronavirus pandemic. Brown’s incentive compensation is subject to the availability of “adequate” funding that is determined “in good faith” by the WSU athletic director and at the school’s own discretion.
Under the contract’s fringe benefits, Brown is granted use of one courtesy vehicle, 16 complimentary tickets to each regular-season home men’s basketball game and a free membership to a local health club.
There is no mention in Brown’s contract of the possibility of using a private plane, which the university funded Marshall to use at least six times for recruiting trips and up to three times for personal trips during each contract year.
It is unclear if that is another cost casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. WSU athletic director Darron Boatright was not available for immediate comment.
Unlike Marshall’s contract, which stipulated the head coach had a total of $617,000 to hire three assistants, there is no mention of how much money Brown has at his disposal to hire and retain assistant coaches. On the current staff, Lou Gudino is paid $230,000 annually, Tyson Waterman is paid $177,000 annually and Billy Kennedy is paid a little more than $96,000.
In his first season as head coach, Brown, a 52-year-old native of Pascagoula, Miss., led the Shockers to a 16-6 record, their first AAC regular-season championship and a return to the NCAA Tournament.
This story was originally published July 23, 2021 at 10:00 AM.
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