The sanctions issued against Penn State by the NCAA on Monday are going to keep Coach Bill O'Brien under contract longer, according to an agreement the football coach signed in January.
Since the NCAA imposed a four-year bowl ban and scholarship losses, among other sanctions to Penn State on Monday, O'Brien's contract is extended for an additional four years.
The agreement, which was signed by O'Brien and acting Athletic Director David Joyner on Jan. 6, states: “Any sanction by the NCAA of a) loss of scholarships or b) bowl eligibility due to the actions of the previous staff or lack of institutional control prior to 2012 will immediately result in an automatic extension of coach's contract at 2016 total compensation and bonus package in years equal to the number of years of the sanctions.”
O'Brien's contract was set for five years when he signed, and the coach has a base salary of $950,000, that has included increases as his term goes on. O'Brien will also receive $1 million a year for television and radio revenue, and he gets $350,000 annually due to Penn State's contract with Nike.
O’Brien was introduced as Penn State’s first new head coach in almost 46 seasons on Jan. 7. Since he signed on with the Nittany Lions, O’Brien has been very positive about Penn State. After the sanctions were levied against Penn State, O’Brien said that he and his staff have no plans to jump ship.
“I’m the type of person that doesn’t worry about contracts too much,” O’Brien said in a teleconference on Wednesday. “I’m just really concerning myself about doing the best job I can every day. I’m really committed to this football team. I told our players that. At the end of the day, I’m out here to do the best job I can for Penn State and for the players and the coaching staff. That's what I try to do every day.”
