Urban Meyer’s Ohio State Contract Details Released

Rife with bowl game bonuses and an out clause, The Ohio State University released the contract details of head football coach Urban Meyer.

Per The Plain Dealer’s Doug Lesmerises, Meyer asked for and received a clause that would allow him to void his end of the deal — while still receiving $1.5 million per year — in the event that NCAA violations that occurred before his tenure begin to impact his reign over the program.

Meyer, who was hired by Ohio State on Nov. 28, 2011, and the money from the original, is presently working under a framework of a contract that pays him $4.44 million over six years, if he completes his entire contract. It includes more detailed language (compared to that of Jim Tressel, who resigned prior to the 2011 season) in regard to NCAA violations, and the head coach’s duties in understanding and reporting them. Meyer’s annual salary places him behind Alabama’s Nick Saban and Texas’ Mack Brown in dollars per year.

As for the bonuses, Meyer will reportedly earn $50,000 for winning the Big Ten Leaders Division, a $100,000 bonus for winning the Big Ten Championship, a $150,000 bonus for going to a BCS bowl, and a $250,000 bonus for reaching the BCS National Championship. The bonuses have been adjusted for bowl-based sanctions that have been placed on the team for the upcoming year, allowing for pay-out in the event Ohio State is among the top-ranked teams at the end of the 2012 season.

[Related: Ohio State to Raise Tuition, Issue iPads to Student-Athletes]