Now that it's all over, we can definitively say they should have just paid the guy.
Five hundred sixty days after he coached his final game for the Jayhawks, Kansas has finally agreed to pay David Beaty his buyout.
“Despite the settlement, the University maintains that the facts and principles behind its position remain intact,” KU said in a news release. “For the betterment of KU, and driven by a willingness to move forward during a time of uncertainty in college athletics, the University has now put this matter behind us.”
Kansas announced it will pay Beaty $2.55 million, a scant $450,000 in savings from Beaty's total buyout figure. When calculating the legal fees of drawing out the case for more than 18 months, it's almost certain KU will end up paying more than the $3 million the school originally owed its former coach.
In those intervening 560 days, Kansas accused Beaty of committing NCAA recruiting violations and also sent its lawyers digging into his personal life, attempting to get the school out from under his contract at no cost.
Beaty eventually counter-sued, which resulted in embarrassing revelations against KU AD Jeff Long. Beaty testified that Long kept Beaty from taking an analyst role at Texas.
Kansas went 3-9 overall and 1-8 in Big 12 play under Les Miles in 2019, equalling their performance in Beaty's final season of 2018.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.