Tyson Foods trolls Kentucky over John Calipari news, sends dino nuggets and Arkansas gear
On Wednesday morning, the hosts of Kentucky Sports Radio were greeted with a gift basket from Tyson Foods thanking the crew and UK fans for running John Calipari out of town and down to Fayetteville.
The current CFO of Tyson Foods is a major Arkansas booster and was one of the primary donors who helped make the John Calipari move to Arkansas happen. Now that it’s a done deal, Tyson has sent Matt Jones and company a basket of goodies thanking the collective BBN for giving away their Hall of Fame head coach.
Take a look:
If you’re going to lose your basketball coach to Arkansas, getting some Dino Nuggets and Tyson Foods merchandise in return isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Of course, Calipari was previously at Kentucky, but after another disappointing exit in the NCAA Tournament this season, fans were at their wits’ end with the longtime Wildcat head coach and many wanted him gone. A massive buyout stood in the way, but ultimately, Calipari decided to leave on his own accord, taking the Arkansas job while telling Kentucky fans it was time for a new voice to take over the program.
With some help from John Tyson and other Arkansas boosters, Calipari was lured to Fayetteville with a massive new contract and hefty NIL commitment. Clearly, Tyson and the Razorback supporters are fired up about their new program leader.
Details on John Calipari contract
John Calipari officially signed a five-year deal with Arkansas to become the basketball team’s new head coach. Now, those financial details have been revealed.
Calipari’s move was a stunner across college basketball. Kentucky is still in the middle of a coaching search for his replacement.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello provided more on Calipari’s new contract.
“Calipari has signed a five-year contract to lead the Razorbacks with a salary beginning at $7 million per season,” Borzello wrote. “The contract runs through April 30, 2029 with a maximum of two automatic rollover years for NCAA Tournament appearances that would extend the contract to 2031.
“The deal includes a $1 million signing bonus and features retention bonuses of $500,000 each year of the contract along with one-time bonuses for making the NCAA Tournament, reaching the second round, Sweet 16, Final Four and winning a national championship.”
USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz revealed more details regarding Calipari’s contract. The $7 million, excluding retention, is guaranteed to the coach at 75% should he be fired without cause.
Also, if Calipari leaves Arkansas, he owes $6 million.