I'm reading a ton of speculation on these interwebs that Coach Jones has one foot out the door for Houston or Purdue and it's not a rumor. A poster asks for sources and page after page of posts and no sources cited.
Now, I understand that Coach Jones is frustrated and, quite frankly, I wouldn't blame him if he was having his name floated around. I'm not even thinking that I'd be crushed if he left at this point - and I've been an ardent support and 100% Butch all along. It may be time for a change for all sides involved.
There are a few things I have a hard time believing about the Houston/Purdue scenarios, though.
- Its been said that money may not be important to him. Head Coaches at that level have egos and pride and the perception of running from a tough situation to a soft landing spot would be hard for a successful HC to choke down.
- Coach Jones currently has a buyout if he leaves on his own. I've read that its $4M. If a school pays that on his behalf, it becomes personal income for the coach and subject to taxation - so $4M becomes $5.5M for someone else to pay or $4M coming out of Coach Jones' back pocket. Are we thinking that UT waives that buyout?
- Is Purdue willing to ramp up their coaching salary pool? Even double what they're willing to pay a HC?
Especially when they could pay Les Miles alot less since LSU is paying him a buyout that would offset it.
- Is Coach Jones really that attractive to other schools at this point?
So, I've seen all these statements (and many more) that it isn't a rumor that Coach Jones is out the door for one of these schools or another. Still haven't seen a single source cited, though.
It's easy to "float your name" and it's easy for an agent to troll fans and media with rumors (i.e. Chris Low and "LSU could sign Herman by Saturday" reports). When will we start seeing the sources or even something that sounds legit?
I'll hang up and listen....
