On the bright side for Gary Pinkel, he's not going to lose his job in the wake of a drunk driving arrest on Wednesday night. As expected, though, his ill-fated night out with friends is going to cost him a pretty penny, as well as his usual spot on the sideline for Missouri's next game:
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri suspended coach Gary Pinkel for the final home game of the season Thursday and froze his salary for a year following his overnight arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.
Athletic director Mike Alden said Pinkel would miss Saturday's game against Texas Tech and the coach will donate a week's worth of his salary to a campus alcohol-awareness program when he returns.
The penalties are expected to cost Pinkel roughly $300,000 in lost salary and bonuses, not exactly pocket change even for a guy who made $2.7 million last year. Pinkel signed a contract extension in April that pays him a guaranteed $2.35 million annually through 2017, with up to $850,000 in possible incentives.
Under the conditions of his suspension, he's likely giving up $75,000 of that if the Tigers make a bowl game, another $100,000 for players meeting certain academic goals and an automatic $50,000 bump at the end of the year. The week's salary he plans to donate to an alcohol awareness program amounts to about $41,000, and he'll also perform 50 hours of community service by next summer.
Pinkel said in a statement today that he was pulled over after dinner with friends, he regrets his lapse in judgment, and he will take his medicine as prescribed by his bosses in the administration. Said bosses, athletic director Mike Alden and chancellor Brady Deaton, issued statements of their own expressing shock and deep disappointment in their coach. But he will remain their coach, resuming full-time duties for the season finale against Kansas next week ? thereby giving the KU student body the best reason they've had to show up to a Jayhawk game all year. I have no doubt that their signs and accompanying chants will convey the utmost taste and respect.
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Matt Hinton is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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