Binghamton University officials announced yesterday that the University, the SUNY system and Kevin Broadus, former head coach of the men’s basketball team, have agreed to a settlement in which Broadus would receive $1.2 million.
‘It’s the right thing, I’m sure, for Mr. Broadus, and I know for sure it’s exactly the right thing for Binghamton University because we are about today and tomorrow and the years ahead,’ said BU Interim President C. Peter Magrath in a Thursday afternoon press conference.
When asked if Broadus was now free to pursue employment elsewhere, Magrath replied, ‘absolutely.’
Broadus has been a central figure in the University basketball scandal since a $900,000, 100-page report detailing a series of wrongdoings was released Feb. 11, 2010.
As head coach, Broadus presided over a period of alleged misconduct, which included lowering academic requirements for student-athletes, providing athletes with money and assistance on schoolwork and recruiting players after NCAA deadlines. He was also coach when players were arrested on charges ranging from theft of a debit card to sale of cocaine.
Consequently, the University relieved him from his coaching duties and reassigned him to an office position. He subsequently filed a racial discrimination complaint in March 2010 with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the New York State Division of Human Rights.
According to a University press release, SUNY will pay Broadus a gross sum of $1.2 million ‘in exchange for his resignation and withdrawal of all claims and potential future lawsuits.’
BU will pay $819,115 to cover the remainder of Broadus’ employment contract, under which he would have continued to earn an annual salary of $223,426 until his contract expired in April 2014. SUNY will pay $380,884 of the $1.2 million for Broadus to retract his claims of racial discrimination against BU.
BU’s share of the money will come from the athletic department budget, according to University Spokeswoman Gail Glover.
The athletics budget was designed to accommodate Broadus’ salary over the next four years, but adjustments will have to be made to make the payment as a lump sum. It is not yet certain how money within the athletic department will be reallocated to fund the payment for Broadus, but Glover said the full amount of BU’s portion of the settlement will come from the athletics department budget.
‘At this point, we are looking at ways to minimize the immediate impact and will work within the University’s overall budget to finalize the payment,’ Glover said.
As part of the settlement, Broadus has also agreed not to file a lawsuit against the University for his racial discrimination complaint against BU.
‘Clearly that was part of it and that is part of the settlement understanding ‘ that will be dropped,’ Magrath said.
Broadus’ lawyer, Linda Kenney Baden, said that Broadus wants to downplay his prior claims of racial discrimination.
‘Coach Broadus says that any claims that he’s made to this date, he doesn’t really want to focus on that,’ she told Pipe Dream. ‘He wants to focus on moving forward.’ For Broadus, that may mean employment opportunities at other schools.
‘There have been a number of people that today have expressed interest in talking to Coach Broadus,’ Baden said in response to questions about whether Broadus has spoken with other teams.
Broadus’ future has been a topic of discussion since last week, when University officials announced the results of an NCAA investigation that found just two secondary infractions.
In a letter to SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, the NCAA said that they closed that investigation because involved parties did not comply with the investigation, even though failure to comply with an NCAA investigation is itself a violation of NCAA ethics bylaws.
Baden said that Broadus fully complied with the investigation.
‘He was interviewed by the NCAA, whatever and wherever they wanted,’ she said. ‘He provided them all documents, even documents that had not been provided by people at Binghamton.’
‘ Justin Mathew and Justin Tasch contributed to this report.