The University of Arizona will pay most, but not all, of athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois’ buyout settlement with her former employer.
Arizona agreed to pay $1.5 million of a $2 million settlement between Reed-Francois and the University of Missouri, according to a report from KMIZ. Reed-Francois left Mizzou for the Arizona job in February, triggering a buyout.
The settlement said that no third party could cover the remaining $500,000 of the settlement, which means Reed-Francois will have to fork over that money herself. Reed-Francois will have until 2031 to pay the rest of the settlement.
Should Reed-Francois miss any payments, Mizzou would be able to file a breach of contract lawsuit seeking another $1 million, bringing the total settlement to $3 million.
Arizona hired Reed-Francois weeks after parting ways with longtime athletic director Dave Heeke. Arizona agreed to pay Heeke his base salary through March 2025 in addition to any earned incentive payments, the Arizona Daily Star reported. That comes out to over $1 million.
Reed-Francois was hired in part to reel in the Arizona athletic department’s spending. Arizona athletics overspent its budget by $32 million in the 2023 fiscal year, according to a report by the Arizona Republic.
Arizona is paying Reed-Francois a base salary of $1 million in her first year. She’ll also receive a $250,000 payout by the Arizona Foundation, bringing her first yer compensation to $1.25 million.
Reed-Francois is in line to receive a $50,000 raise each of the next four seasons.