LSU's Wade Made Concessions in Reinstatement Deal

Louisiana State basketball coach Will Wade may be back on the sidelines, but his reinstatement came at some personal cost.

According to Sports Illustrated, Wade agreed to contract modifications beneficial to the school as part of his reinstatement agreement. The amendments include clauses that allow the school to fire Wade for cause if he is found to have committed Level I or Level II NCAA infractions, or if the NCAA committee on infractions issues a formal notice of Wade’s involvement in such violations to LSU. In addition, Wade forfeited performance bonuses he would have earned for this past season which would have paid him $250,000 under his old contract. Wade also agreed not to sue the school if he were fired over NCAA violations. The changes were uncovered via an open records request.

Wade was suspended indefinitely on March 8 when it was reported that he had been recorded on an FBI wiretap discussing a recruit with former sports agent Christian Dawkins, who has since been convicted on fraud charges. A stalemate between Wade and LSU officials lasted until April, when they finally met.

A former LSU athletic director, who stepped down this month, said that after that meeting, Wade had “answered all questions and denied any wrongdoing in connection with recently reported allegations of irregularities in college basketball recruiting.”

In a statement discussing the contract amendments, LSU interim vice president for strategic communication Jason Droddy said “This amendment to Will Wade’s contract represents a strong commitment by Coach Wade to the integrity of the institution and to his continued cooperation in partnership with LSU. We are pleased to be able to come to this agreement as we move forward in this process.”