LSU, Will Wade Amend Contract as Part of Reinstatement

The reinstated LSU coach can now be fired for cause if he is found to have committed major NCAA violations.

Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate

The details of the meeting between LSU and basketball coach Will Wade on April 12 are becoming clear. As part of his reinstatement, the coach made concessions in his contract, according to documents obtained by Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger as part of a public records request. Under two amendments he agreed the school add to his contract, LSU can fire Wade for cause if he is found to have committed Level I or Level II NCAA violations, or if the NCAA infractions committee issues a formal notice of Level 1 or Level 2 violations to LSU involving the coach. Wade also agreed to waive the $250,000 in performance bonuses he contractually earned in 2018–19 and agreed not to sue the school if he were fired over NCAA violations.

In response to a request for comment on the amendments, Jason Droddy, interim vice president for strategic communications, sent a statement to SI: “The 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 we were able to come to this agreement as we move forward in this process.”

Here are the amendments added to #LSU coach Will Wade's contract as part of reinstatement.

He agreed not to sue the school if fired for NCAA violations and waived the bonuses. https://t.co/skxobK04ix pic.twitter.com/36a26dU8bZ

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) April 24, 2019

LSU suspended Wade indefinitely March 8 after Wade declined to speak with school officials as part of an investigation into a wiretapped phone conversation with a recruiting middleman. A Yahoo! Sports report revealed a wiretapped conversation in which Wade and former Adidas consultant Christian Dawkins discussed a recruiting deal offered to a prospect. LSU then reinstated Wade April 14 after Wade met with university and NCAA officials.

LSU athletic director Joe Alleva, who has since stepped down, said at the time that Wade "answered all questions and denied any wrongdoing in connection with recently reported allegations of irregularities in college basketball recruiting." Alleva also said "Wade's explanations and clarifications offered during the meeting, absent actual evidence of misconduct, satisfy his contractual obligation to LSU."