Has Steve Alford Given UCLA Grounds to Terminate Him For Cause?

You know, a lot of folks have argued that UCLA was waiting until after Steve Alford’s buyout drops after April 30th in order to fire him. That’s a pipe dream because of the way the contract is written.

Sure, Alford’s buyout does, in fact, drop by $2.6M come May 1. But, I went and re-read the contract details this morning and realized that everyone has focused on the buyout amount, but failed to see the language immediately before the buyout amounts.

The “Termination Without Cause” section of Alford’s contract states that the

University shall only be obligated to pay as follows: The amount of Base Salary, Talent Fee and Deferred Compensation identified in Sections 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 of this…