Ya gotta love the chutzpah behind the reworked WVU-Brown contract

When I first read WVU had extended football coach Neal Brown’s contract an additional year through the 2027 season, I was probably like many. I wondered if it was necessary.
Yes, the Mountaineers had a nice season in 2023, but was that enough to warrant an extension?
Then I read the details, including decreases in Brown’s pay over the next three seasons. I read some comments, including a couple from writers I respect.
“Neal Brown taking a pay cut in the extension shows me two things: He’s a good dude (we already knew) that cares about his assistants and 2. He’s confident.” – Schuyler Callihan.
“Basically,” wrote Cody Nespor, “what this extension does is just make it easier for both sides to get out of the contract at any point.”
And suddenly I began to think of business done in the olden days, in a back poker room complete with chips with cigar smoke curling toward the ceiling — between WVU athletic director Wren Baker and Brown.
“Hey Wren,” I can imagine Brown saying, “I’d like an extension on my contract and I’d like to take care of my posse.”
“I hear ya,” Baker might have said. “And whaddya going to do for me?”
“I’ll tell ya what I’ll do podner,” I imagine Brown saying. “You can DECREASE my annual salary $100,000 next season and in 2026 and a cool $200,000 in 2025. I reckon I can live on $4 million and change in Morgantown.”
“Sounds good,” Baker might have said. “What else?”
“Well,” Brown might have said. “Instead of you buying me out 100 percent of my remaining salary before the end of 2024 and 85 percent if fired in 2025, you’d only have to give me 75 percent if fired.
“BUT, and this is a big ol’ but, if I leave for Kentucky, er, another job, I only pay 10 percent of the remaining total salary.”
Both in unison after a cigar puff:
“You got a deal.”
Of course, there was chirping among WVU fans still skeptical about Brown’s ability to make the Mountaineers nationally relevant on a consistent basis.
But I kind of like this and I’ll tell you why: Brown is not only investing in his staff, which will reap benefits from the new contract, he’s betting on himself – and the way his fans have been responding to Country Roads Trust of late.
And I freakin’ love that. Good for him.
“There are great things ahead,” he said via WVU’s press release.
Yes, the 43-year-old Brown is 31-29 at WVU, including a 20-24 Big 12 mark. Yet he obviously sees a path to excellence.
I love that he’s willing to put his money on that. I love that Baker also sees the vision.
Now, let’s see where the chips fall.
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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.