Both the current Kentucky coach and former Louisville coaches' buyouts are worth millions.
Kentucky coach John Calipari said Friday that he “feels bad” for Chris Mack and his family, who officially parted ways with Louisville earlier this week.
“Coaching is a hard profession,” Calipari added. “We're all 30 days from bankruptcy. Everybody in this profession.”
It is worth noting that the Wildcats coach's buyout would be $60 million if he was fired, and per ESPN, Mack's buyout in the separation agreement ended up being negotiated down to $4.8 million.
Louisville's 2021–22 season took a significant downturn as it lost five of its last six games, including a 64–52 defeat to Virginia on Monday. The Cardinals sit at 11–9 (5–5) on the season.
The 52-year-old also started the season serving a six-game suspension handed down by the school, stemming from the scandal that involved former assistant Dino Gaudio attempting to extort his former boss. Louisville said Mack “failed to follow university guidelines, policies, and procedures in handling the matter,“ in its decision to suspend him, making clear that it is “unrelated to the extortion attempt itself and the ongoing NCAA process.”
During his time with the program, Louisville tallied a 68–37 record in his four seasons, going 38–23 in ACC play. The program has not played in the NCAA tournament since a first-round exit in 2019.
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