Schiano Deal Worth $27M, But Lacked Signatures

The memorandum of understanding that former Tennessee athletic director John Currie and Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano signed Nov. 26 lacked a key signature required to make the document binding.

UT released the MOU on Monday in response to a records request.

Currie, Tennessee's athletic director until his ouster Dec. 1, and Schiano signed the document, which would have paid Schiano $27 million in guaranteed wages over six years.

However, the document lacked signatures from Chief Financial Officer David Miller and Chancellor Beverly Davenport.

Because the MOU is considered a non-delegated contract, it required Miller's signature to become a binding agreement, according to UT's contract policy.

The document included spots for the signatures of Currie, Schiano, Miller and Davenport. The space for the signatures of Miller and Davenport remains blank.

"That document was never signed by The University of Tennessee's Chief Financial Officer, whose signature would have been required to make it legally binding on the University," Tom Satkowiak, spokesman for the UT athletic department, wrote in an email releasing the MOU.

UT's contract policy states that "all non-delegated contracts must be signed by an officer of the University." Currie was not considered an officer of the university, as defined by the university's bylaws.

Furthermore, the policy states that "chancellors are only authorized to sign non-delegated contracts related to their campus/institute, and the Chief Financial Officer must also be a signatory on any non-delegated contract signed by a Chancellor."

Tennessee's deal with Schiano unraveled after news leaked of the pending hire and was met by a wave of backlash from some fans, donors, politicians and local business owners.

The Vols concluded their coaching search last week, finalizing a deal with Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt on Thursday.

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