PISCATAWAY, NJ—On October 9, the Rutgers Board of Governors approved an amendment to Head Football Coach Kyle Flood’s employment contract that would significantly increase his salary.

The contract extension, negotiated just two days before his team lost to Penn State in their first Big Ten game, gives Flood two more years and various pay increases.

The deal does not alter Flood’s base salary, however it includes additional compensation that would soon make Flood the highest-paid state employee.

Flood was originally earning a base salary $550,000 per year and his term was originally set to end on January 31, 2017.  That date has now been pushed off to February 28, 2019.

Flood also earns additional bonuses and “additional annual guaranteed compensation” on top of his base salary each year, so long as his performance is approved by the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.

The original contract was set to pay Flood $2 million in additional guaranteed compensation over the course of approximately five years from January 30, 2012 to February 28, 2017.

Under the new agreement, Flood will now receive $3.8 million in additional  guaranteed compensation over the course of approximately five years from January 30, 2014 to February 28, 2019.

The two years of additional guaranteed compensation paid prior to the amendment yielded Flood $500,000, making the total additional guaranteed compensation for the duration of his employment $4.3 million.

In total, Flood will be paid $8.15 million over the life of the contract, making for an average yearly salary of approximately $1.15 million.

The pay raise comes courtesy of anonymous “generous donors,” according to the Board of Governors resolution that ratified the contract amendment.

Among the reasons cited for the contract extension include Flood’s accomplishment of being named Big East Coach of the Year in 2012, his first year in the job.

The Board of Governors also credited Flood with winning “a share of the 2012 Big East Championship,” and praised the football program’s Academic Progress Rate, which was 24th in the nation overall.

Flood also led the team to two straight bowl games in his first two years, making him the first coach in Rutgers history to do so.

Much like the original contract, Flood has opportunities for many bonuses and benefits, in addition to his base salary and additional annual guaranteed income.

For example, Flood will receive a $25,000 bonus if the student-athletes maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average at or above 2.6.

Flood also receives a $15,000 per year automobile stipend if he chooses to lease a new vehicle for the duration of his employment.

Another notable section of the contract amendment altered Flood’s compensation in case of his contract termination.

Originally, he was set to receive $1 million if he were to be terminated in the first year of his contract, $850,000 in the second year, $700,000 in the third year, $500,000 in the fourth year, and nothing in the fifth year.

Under the new agreement, Flood will now receive $1.4 million in the event of termination, regardless of when he is let go.

Amid protests by staff and faculty who are currently working without contracts, many workers are confused by the pay raise for Flood, which they say raises questions about equality and the priorities of the school’s administration.

Chair of the Labor Studies Department Adrienne Eaton said, “The unions try not to criticize the high pay of other people at the University in general… We think that you should pay money for quality, we just think that there should be some equality of principle in that.” 

Editor’s Note: Richard Rabinowitz is related to a non-voting member of the Rutgers University Board of Governors.  David Bedford is a student involved in Rutgers ONE, a coalition of Rutgers student groups and university-based unions.