KY legislator wants to end university lifetime contracts — a reference to Calipari

Kentucky’s highest-paid public employee, University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari, is under what some call a “lifetime contract.”

New legislation proposed by Rep. Patrick Flannery, R-Olive Hill, would ban any actual lifetime contracts from being signed in the future.

Flannery filed House Bill 336 on Thursday, which would not nullify any existing contract like Calipari’s, but would disallow public colleges and universities from entering into such a contract — which would apply to more than just athletic programs — in the future.

Calipari’s contract is not technically a lifetime contract, though it’s popularly known by that designation. The coach signed a 10-year deal in 2019 worth $86 million, which grants Calipari, 64, the opportunity to step down as coach and remain with the program in an administrative capacity while still making nearly $1 million after next season.

When asked why he filed the bill, Flannery said “obviously there’s a basketball coach in this state that has a lifetime contract,” but made clear that the legislation was not specifically targeted at Calipari, whose contract would remain unchanged.

The bill amends existing statutes related to Kentucky’s public colleges and universities’ governing boards, adding language that states “the respective governing boards shall not enter into any contract for lifetime employment.”

Flannery said many constituents in his Eastern Kentucky district had reached out to him about the issue of such lifetime contracts.

“I’ve actually had a lot of constituents talk to me about ‘hey, should a employee of a public university get a lifetime contract?’ I think the argument is they probably shouldn’t, so I filed a bill. I really think the best public policy is that really no employee at a state university should get a lifetime contract. A lot of things can happen and the employer-employee situation may just not work,” Flannery said.

Flannery said he was not a particular fan of the UK program and described himself as “more of a pro guy.” Still, he said his constituents care deeply about the program, adding that “I think most people would hope for a better record at this point.”

“I mean, he’s a Hall of Famer and it’s not really a criticism of him. To me, I think the important question is ‘should employees of a state university receive a lifetime contract?’ I don’t think that’s good public policy.”

The bill is not intended to apply to tenure for college professors, Flannery said