Memphis football staff ’s salaries cut by 12 percent
Salaries for the Memphis football coaching staff were reduced by more than 12% for the current fiscal year as part of the athletic department's efforts to cut costs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Tigers' 12 on-field coaches as well as the director of athletic performance agreed to pay cuts totaling a combined $572,242.92, according to contract amendments obtained by The Commercial Appeal via open records request.
Coach Ryan Silverfield, who was due to make $1.75 million during the first of a five-year deal, had his salary reduced by $235,558.93.
The department-wide salary reductions came in the wake of efforts to account for a projected budget shortfall of $9 million to $11.5 million, which athletic director Laird Veatch announced in late September. At the time the athletic department also laid off 19 full-time employees and instituted furloughs for any employee making more than $40,000 a year.
Seven of the 13 members of the coaching staff chose to forfeit bowl game bonuses (the equivalent of one month's salary) as part of the total reduction amount of their salaries.
The seven were offensive line coach Jim Bridge, director of athletic performance Noah Franklin, offensive coordinator Kevin Johns, defensive coordinator Mike Macintyre, wide receivers coach John Simon, linebackers coach Bert Watts and former special teams coordinator Pete Lembo, who left Memphis last month to become associate head coach and special teams coach at South Carolina. Silverfield recently hired Drew Svoboda as Lembo's replacement.
Silverfield, defensive backs coach Charles Clark, tight ends coach David Glidden, running backs coach Anthony Jones and defensive line coach Kyle Pope were “entitled to earn (and) receive” their bowl game bonuses, per the terms of their respective contract amendments. Rather than giving up their bowl game bonuses, that group agreed to monthly salary reductions through the end of the current fiscal year to match the equivalent of the bonuses they received. Silverfield's bonus ($75,000) is the only one not equivalent to one month's salary. Silverfield, who also had a $75,000 incentive activated when the Tigers reached eight wins, earned a total of $1,664,441.07 in his first year as head coach.