Gary Andersen left millions of dollars on the table at Oregon State when he decided to quit his coaching duties Monday afternoon.
Andersen released the following statement to the media:
After many discussions with [athletic director] Scott [Barnes], waiving my contract is the correct decision and enables the young men and the program to move forward and concentrate on the rest of the season. Coaching is not about the mighty dollar. It is about teaching and putting young men in a position to succeed on and off the field. Success comes when all parties involved are moving in the same direction.
Something is very strange with this situation, especially considering Andersen left more than $12 million on the table when he decided to do so.
$12,630,555: What Oregon State head coach Gary Andersen was guaranteed thru 2021.
He agreed to give that $ up to leave the school today. pic.twitter.com/e0QHXowd5S
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 9, 2017
Andersen had very successful stints at Utah State and Wisconsin before taking over for the Beavers, where he has struggled. Here’s a simple fact when it comes to college coaching. Coaches with guaranteed millions on the table and a losing team don’t willingly give up money to walk away before getting fired.
I have no idea what we’re going to find out about what’s going down in Corvallis, but I bet it’s going to be pretty big. The most likely assumption is that Andersen thinks there is another school willing to offer him a job, and he’s desperate to get out of Oregon State. He waives the money in return for the opportunity to move on.
The other options aren’t nearly as pleasant.