photo by: Emma Pravecek/Journal-World Photo

KU Athletic Director Travis Goff introduces new head baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald during a press conference on Thursday, June 16, 2022.

While a $600,000 base salary increase was the headline number from KU Athletics Director Travis Goff’s new employment contract, the agreement also included other new perks — both on land and in the air.

The agreement announced Wednesday by the University of Kansas doubles the number of automobiles at Goff’s disposal, and also comes with a university-funded program that allows Goff to take up to $50,000 a year in private jet flights for his personal use.

Following Wednesday’s announcement, which highlighted Goff’s new salary and bonus structure, the Journal-World compared Goff’s new employment contract to his original 2021 contract that he signed after leaving a deputy athletic director position at Northwestern University to lead the KU program.

The private jet provision was one of about a half-dozen compensation or benefit provisions — over and above the salary increase — that was significantly different from Goff’s original contract.

Goff’s original contract — much like those of other athletics directors KU previously has employed — included a provision that spelled out how Goff could use KU’s charter jet service, but any use had to be for “official business purposes only.” A similar provision remains in Goff’s new contract. If he needs to fly to an athletic contest, Big 12 Conference meetings or other such functions, he’ll have the ability to use KU’s charter service through C&B Skies or other KU-affiliated aircraft.

But new to the contract is a provision that says the “University shall provide the Athletics Director a Wheels Up membership or similar service” that is valued at $50,000 each year. The provision says the $50,000 membership shall be “credited to Athletics Director’s personal use at his discretion.”

Wheels Up is a New York-based private aviation service that allows members to use the company’s private aircraft — a mix of jets and prop planes — with as little as 48 hours notice, according to statements on the company’s website. Other benefits, according to the website, include concierge service, a travel agency and members-only events and experiences at particular destinations.

The Journal-World on Wednesday reached out to the chancellor’s office, which was responsible for negotiating the contract with Goff, to seek more details about the private jet provision and how many other KU employees receive such a benefit.

As of 4 p.m. on Thursday, the Journal-World hadn’t received a response back from the chancellor’s office, but a spokesman from the athletic department attempted to answer several of the questions. Spokesman Daniel Berk said the provision involving the private aircraft program was not an unusual provision industrywide for an athletics director contract. He also said that KU is providing the benefit to only three employees, men’s basketball coach Bill Self, football coach Lance Leipold and now Goff. Berk said all funds for the $50,000 program will come from Kansas Athletics’ revenue sources, rather than the general university budget.

Berk further said the provision will help ensure that KU’s aircraft are only used for official business.

“The Wheels Up provision is for personal travel,” Berk said via email. “Travis has never and will not use the university plane for personal use.”

As reported on Wednesday, Goff’s new contract raised his base salary to $1.3 million in this current year, up from a $700,000 salary that he agreed to in 2021. Unlike his first contract, the new contract includes automatic increases in the base salary over the next six years, with the final year of the contract in 2030-2031 paying Goff a base salary of $1.57 million.

The Journal-World’s review of the new contract found several other new provisions. They include:

• Goff shall have use of two automobiles as part of KU’s Wheel Club program, which generally is a program where KU partners with regional auto dealers to provide coaches and other athletic executives a vehicle that can be used for business and personal use, within certain guidelines. Goff’s original contract gave him use of one automobile.

• Goff will receive 12 season ticket packages to football, men’s and women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball matches. That’s up from four season ticket packages for each sport in the original contract. Two of the season ticket packages are provided to Goff to be used in his capacity of director of athletics. The remaining 10 season ticket packages can be used at his discretion, and are considered to be part of his compensation package.

• Goff is eligible to receive eight retention bonuses between now and the 2031 ending term of the contract. Goff is due to receive a $100,000 bonus on Saturday, June 1 for remaining with the Kansas athletic department. He’s set to receive another $100,000 bonus on Dec. 31 if he is still with KU. From that point forward, the contract calls for Goff to receive a retention bonus on June 1 of each year, ranging from $125,000 to $250,000, depending on the year.

Goff’s original contract did not include a provision for retention bonuses. It did, however, include a provision for a general performance bonus. The new contract also includes a provision for a general performance bonus, but that bonus amount has moved downward, at least by a percentage standpoint.

The original contract allowed Goff to receive a bonus of up to 20% of his base salary. The new contract caps any general bonus at 10% of his base salary.

Goff’s original contract also allowed for up to $30,000 in moving and house-hunting expenses, given that Goff and his family were moving to Lawrence from Illinois. Such a provision and expense is not part of Goff’s latest contract.

• The new contract requires KU to pay Goff a significantly larger exit fee, if KU decides to fire Goff without legal cause, meaning that KU is firing the athletic director simply because they are unhappy with the direction of the program, instead of because of some specific contractual violation. If Goff is fired in either 2025 or 2026 he would be owed a $5 million exit fee. The amount falls to $4 million in 2027 and to $2 million in 2030. Goff’s original contract capped any exit fee at no more than two years’ salary, or $1.4 million.

However, the new contract also adds a provision to protect KU if Goff decides to leave the university prior to the end of his contract. His buyout fee to exit his contract follows the same schedule as the exit fee above. In other words, Goff would owe KU $5 million if he leaves in either 2025 or 2026, dropping to $4 million in 2027 and declining further from there.

What is not included in Goff’s new contract also is notable. Reportedly, the contract for new University of Missouri Athletics Director Laird Veatch — who received a $1.3 million deal after agreeing to leave the University of Memphis last month — includes a clause that would allow his contract amount to be reduced due to “potential changes to the financial model for collegiate athletics given pending litigation and legislation.”

That is likely a reference to the pending settlement between the NCAA, the power conferences and a group of athletes suing for billions in back payments related to the use of their name, image and likeness.

That pending settlement in the suit, as we’ve reported, would allow athletic departments to implement revenue sharing programs with student-athletes. Based on current numbers, a school like KU may feel great pressure to spend $20 million a year on a student-athlete revenue sharing program in order to stay competitive in the athlete recruiting world.

Universities, including KU, have said they are not sure how their athletic department budgets could be adjusted to allow for such $20 million payments, without major cuts elsewhere. At some universities, including Mizzou, that has led to discussions about whether future contracts with coaches and administrators should have “force majeure” provisions that would allow the universities to renegotiate those contracts in the event of major financial upheaval in the college sports world.

A review of Goff’s new contract, however, did not reveal any obvious provision that would give KU leaders the flexibility to renegotiate in the event of a major financial change to college athletics.