Kansas State Set to Fight 'Secret Deal' Payments to Former Coach Prince

It seems former Kansas State football coach Ron Prince and former athletic director Bob Krause struck a "secret" side deal last summer the school is now trying to get out of, according to a lawsuit filed by the university.

In addition to a five-year contract extension in August 2008 that paid Prince $1.1 million annually, the two apparently brokered a $3.2 million deal that would be broken up in payments between 2015 and 2020 that no one else in the athletic administration or anywhere else on campus knew about. Prince was forced to resign a few months later. Under the official contract, Prince is owed a $1.2 million buyout. That figure could jump to $4.4 million if Kansas State is forced to pay the secret contract between Prince and Krause.

The school has filed suit to fight the $3.2 million payment.

"This deal was apparently constructed as a further supplement to the buyout provision contained in Prince's employment contract," associate athletic director Jim Epps said through a statement released by the university on Wednesday. "I do not know why any additional supplement was justified, or why Bob Krause concealed this agreement from everyone until it was inadvertently discovered last week."

Krause was reassigned in March as the director of the Kansas State Olathe Innovative Campus. He has since resigned. K-State president Jon Wefald, who is set to step down next month, said in a statement released Wednesday that he first learned of the secret deal May 11. He obviously believes the deal should be invalidated because Prince and his attorney worked around university attorneys to get the secret agreement done.

"After Jim Epps and I learned about the secret agreement, we spent several days explaining to Ron Prince and his agent why they should consider the agreement was null and void," Wefald said via a statement. "That failed. We believe that this secret agreement made between Bob Krause and Ron Prince's attorney is null and void and we will act accordingly."

Kansas State introduced John Currie as its new athletic director on Monday.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-20-2009 @ 10:58PM

kenny bee said...

YOU GOT TO PAY THE COACH ITS SIMPLE A CONTRACT WAS SIGN AND VALIDATED BY ATHLETIC DIRECTOR IN CHARGE WHOM WAS IN GOOD STANDING AT THE TIME YOU FIRED A GOOD COACH FOR ONE BAD SEASON AND THIS COACH CARRY HIMSELF VERY RESPECTFUL DURING THE COARSE OF THE SEASON KNOWING VERY WELL HE WOULD NOT RETURN ALSO KNOWING VERY WELL HE HAD A GRAT BUY OUT I SAY THE LAST LAUGH IS ON KANSAS STATE ATHLETIC ALUMNI LOOK AT BRITE SIDE YOU HAVE CLEAN HOUSE NOW NEW COACH NEW DIRECTOR NEW PRESIDENT NOW GET A NEW LIFE PRINCE LAUGH YOUR LUCKY ASS ON TO THE BANK BRO

5-25-2009 @ 2:53PM

Chuck said...

The college probably got some stimulus money. They should be able to cover it.

5-26-2009 @ 8:15AM

barbyk said...

and do you wonder why so many football players revel in being corrupt and immoral?

they should just do semi pro football and shut down the scam called college football

5-25-2009 @ 4:11PM

knezrad said...

This is another example of the corruption at the higher level of collegiate sports and the incestuous relationships between athletic directors and the agents and their clients. Secret deals and payoffs abound, forging illegalities and ensconcing incompetence and the elevation of the same names on short lists because of the rakeoffs given to ADs [and front office types in the pros] and the coaches' agents. This can be of different levels of harm, from idiocies such as this one, which is invalid ab initio[An AD is not a shogun. An AD is under university requirements and regulations as is any other employee. And if the university is to payout moneys, the university's legal staff has the right of review, as does the administration. If the former AD's lawyers made this deal, the former AD is the one the agent and coach need to sue. The university is in no way liable.] But I doubt this will be the needed wake-up call for school administrations to clean up their act and realize that agents are ruining collegiate sports. Some of these multiple-coach entertainment entities push people who will get them their biggest payout over the longest period of time, whether or not the particular person pushed is good, or even competent. The former agent of Bill Parcells referred to this 'way back in the '80s, between that coach and Howard Schnellenberger, and it has gotten worse ever since. The level of ineptitude at all levels of the hiring process is phenomenal.

5-25-2009 @ 4:25PM

Wish Belkin said...

Bob Krause signed it, let Bob Krause pay it.

5-25-2009 @ 5:49PM

pkacp said...

If true, then Krause belongs in jail if he does not pay and/or hold the University harmless!!! One other reason there should be a cap on all of these athletic agreements.

5-25-2009 @ 5:50PM

leejcaroll said...

And people wonder why tuition is so high.

5-25-2009 @ 6:00PM

Grandmuhma Shelley said...

Yo Terrence, the Title Needs to be SPELL CHECK, you know, like in MS Word! Idiot!

5-25-2009 @ 6:28PM

fshnt21 said...

SOME QUESTIONS...

IS THIS GUY FROM PHILLY...?

IS HE RELATED TO FORMER MAYOR JOHN STREET... ??

SURE SOUNDS LIKE IT....

5-25-2009 @ 7:07PM

papam11 said...

I find it strange that the AD would have the power to structure and okay ANY legally binding deal without the final approval of the University board.

5-25-2009 @ 7:26PM

lilyiya said...

It's not a secret anymoree.

5-25-2009 @ 8:01PM

Sam said...

Secret deal? People rarely talk about integrity. Neither that university nor any of the people involved know what integrity is. Send all of them to Iraq or North Korea.

5-26-2009 @ 6:23AM

DEN said...

This is a cover up..of course the University is going to say they didn't know about if it saves them 3.2million. Did they really not know and when did they not know it? lol May11th they decided to not know it after someone reminded them from the legal department it was going to cost them. They probably payed the AD secret money to go away , take the fall and keep quiet. College sports is nothinging more than high class pimping of young dumb athletes hoping to make it big.

5-26-2009 @ 7:47AM

servicemasterwv said...

when will these people who think their do do dont stink wake up they are no better than the rest of us secret deal give me a break lets call it what it is stealing we dont send our kids to school to throw balls around they can do that for free can all sports at college we spend the money so they can learn not that some jackass can get rich same goes with washington and police officers look in your underwear im sure you all have skid marks in them