Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long has parlayed interest from Texas into his second raise in 13 months.
Long, who was recently named the chairman of the 13-member College Football Playoff selection committee, has agreed to a new contract with the Razorbacks that will raise his annual salary to $1.1 million by next summer. It also includes a one-time $100,000 bonus and raises his buyout for $1.3 million through June 30, 2015.
The Dallas Morning News reported over the weekend that Long was one of three finalists for the athletic director job at Texas. He then issued a statement Sunday evening saying he was not seeking another job.
"I do not comment on the searches of other universities or on unsubstantiated rumors," Long wrote in the statement. "... Further, I am not seeing a position or engaged in the search process of another university."
In the contract amendment, which was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press, Arkansas officials said they were aware that "another institution of higher education with significant resources" had expressed interest in Long.
The agreement, which was dated last Friday, said Long's new compensation was "in exchange for your agreement to remove yourself from consideration for another position and to retain you at the University of Arkansas."
Texas announced the hiring of Steve Patterson as its new athletic director on Tuesday.
Long was reported to have been a target of Stanford in its search for an athletic director last year, and he followed by agreeing to a new contract at Arkansas — one that paid him $900,000 annually, with another $300,000 possible in incentives.
That contract ran through June 30, 2017, and it was immediately unclear if Long — currently in his sixth season with the Razorbacks — had received an extension in his latest agreement. The agreement doesn't mention an extension, but it lists Long as having a $100,000 buyout from 2017-2018.
The Ohio native was formerly at Pittsburgh, and he was widely praised last year for his handling of the firing of football coach Bobby Petrino.
Long said last month, after his announcement as chairman of the playoff committee, that he wasn't "interested in listening to anybody about anything" regarding possible new jobs.
About the Author
