Paul Chryst Should Have Told Wisconsin He Wanted Every Dime Of His $20 Million Buyout Instead Of Settling For A Fraction Of It

Patrick McDermott. Getty Images.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel- MADISON – University of Wisconsin officials are set to pay former head football coach Paul Chryst a buyout of $11 million.

The payment is to be made no later than February 1, 2023.

According to athletic director Chris McIntosh, Chryst was due to receive paid 85% of the remaining value of his five-year contract after being fired Sunday.

That was $20,263,434.

“We agreed to $11 million,” McIntosh said Monday, “in one or two installments.”

McIntosh stressed the money will come from private funds in the UW Foundation.

“Everybody wants to be assured that they’re not taxpayer dollars,” McIntosh said. “They are drawn from the annual fund, which is contributed to through a combination of ways.

“But those are private dollars we are using.”

The dust has settled on Paul Chryst's buyout and my strong take is he should have demanded every cent he was owed. 

For those unfamiliar, Wisconsin decided to fire Head Coach Paul Chryst after a disappointing 2-3 start. The firing on the surface makes sense. Wisconsin hasn't looked great, it's a major program, and with championship contenders up and down the Big 10, you have to be in a position to compete alongside them. If it becomes clear you are way behind in the race, which Wisconsin was, it makes sense to make a change. Again, that's on the surface.  And to be fair, Paul Chryst probably knows it was time for a change as well. It's when you examine his numbers that you realize how great he has been in Madison. 

Chryst attended Wisconsin and played Quarterback from 86-88. In his time at Wisconsin as a Head Coach he went 67-26 (72%) overall. In the Big 10, he was 43-18 (70%). He won the Big Ten West three times which resulted in three Big Ten title game appearances. Of those 3 two were one score losses. He also finished 2nd in the Big Ten West three times. His worst finish in a complete season? 3rd in 2021. Total of 7 full seasons in Madison Chryst had three 1st place division finishes, three runner ups, and a 3rd. He reached 3 New Years Six Bowls and went 2-1 back when people cared about and played in bowls. The man had two 11+ win seasons, and two 10 win seasons. He had Wisconsin as one of the most successful programs since his arrival in Madison. 

Wisconsin got as close as you can get to a National Championship without winning one. 

He was a successful coach and ran a successful program. He won games in one of the toughest leagues in the country. In my eyes he deserves every cent that Wisconsin owed him. He should channel his inner Ray Liotta "Fuck you, pay me".

or his Jim Calhoun … "not a dime back" 

Fired in the middle of the year for one bad start? After 7 years of success? If I was Paul Chyrst I would take every cent of that $20 million. What exactly did he do that deserved a firing? What did he do the last 7 years other than win consistency? Who's to say he wouldn't have made a bowl at least this year? 

Now, Wisconsin has every right to make the change if it feels they will be in a better position to win. But Chryst was never a failure and he absolutely lived up to his end of the deal of making Wisconsin a contender.

He deserves every cent of the 20 million and shouldn't have settled for anything less. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.