Florida AD Stricklin says no buyout discussed with McElwain or his reps

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin says the school has not had any conversations with embattled coach Jim McElwain or his representatives regarding a contract buyout.

Stricklin's statement Saturday was in response to a tweet from a sports lawyer that quoted an anonymous source saying Florida and agent Jimmy Sexton have engaged in buyout negotiations and are "miles apart."

"No one representing the University of Florida or our athletic department has had any conversations with Coach McElwain or his representatives regarding a buyout of his contract," Stricklin said. "Our focus is on this great Florida-Georgia rivalry today in Jacksonville."

The sports lawyer, Darren Heitner, also tweeted that Florida has called boosters to pool money in anticipation of hiring a new coach.

McElwain created a firestorm Monday when he said Florida players and families received death threats amid the team's struggles. School administrators, including Stricklin, met with McElwain in hopes of gathering more information and helping alleviate any safety concerns. McElwain rebuffed their efforts, prompting a statement from the athletic department that essentially criticized McElwain for being uncooperative.

McElwain backtracked a bit on Wednesday but stopped short of apologizing and again refused to provide details about the threats.