Kansas and former football coach David Beaty have reached a settlement following Beaty's dismissal late in the 2018 season. The school announced Friday night that it would pay Beaty a sum of $2.55 million.
"Despite the settlement, the University maintains that the facts and principles behind its position remain intact," the school said in a statement. "For the betterment of KU, and driven by a willingness to move forward during a time of uncertainty in college athletics, the University has now put this matter behind us."
When Kansas fired Beaty, he was owed $3 million in a buyout according to his contract terms. Kansas felt it did not have to pay the entire amount after discovering potential NCAA infractions when conducting end-of-season interviews with assistants on the staff. The primary infraction being Jeff Love, the team's video coordinator at the time, giving coaching instructions to the team's quarterbacks. Staff members who are not on-field coaches are not allowed to instruct players.
Kansas self-reported the violations and received a Level II infraction against the football program as part of a larger notice of allegations against the school's athletic department in September 2019.
Beaty filed a lawsuit against the school in March 2019 because he felt the school was looking for ways to reduce his buyout. The lawsuit alleged Kansas was trying to "un-bake the proverbial cake it made."
On Friday, Beaty's attorney Michael P. Lyons released a statement on behalf of Beaty.
"This has been an extremely challenging time for David and Raynee Beaty," Lyons said. "I think this is a victory not only for the Beaty family but for college coaches everywhere. The current trend of backtracking on your contractual obligations in an effort to find a way not to pay these contracted buyouts, I think not only is that a growing trend, but I think this is an example of what not to do. I think the settlement speaks for itself."
Beaty spent four seasons at Kansas, going 6-42 overall and 2-34 in the Big 12. He spent the 2019 season as a consultant on Tom Herman's staff at Texas.
