Section A · Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, September 12, 2000
K-State, former coach reach agreement
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas State University will spend $665,000 to buy out the contract of former men's basketball coach Tom Asbury, The Kansas City Star reported.
According to financial information released to The Star and reported in Sunday's editions, the university will continue making regular biweekly payments to Asbury as if he were an active employee. Financial terms of the settlement agreement, reached in June, had previously been labeled confidential and were not disclosed publicly.
Asbury, Kansas State's head coach for six years, was fired in March. The two sides agreed on terms of the buyout only after taking their differences to a mediator.
"The process turned out fine," Asbury told the newspaper Friday from his new home in California. "I'm happy with it."
Asbury lost his job shortly after the season, when the Wildcats finished 9-19 overall and 2-14 in Big 12 play. Asbury had an overall record of 85-88 in Manhattan, departing as the first losing coach in Wildcat men's basketball history since 1946.
At the time he was fired, Asbury had a base salary of $165,600 and two more years on his contract.
According to The Star, the university agreed to pay him $339,000 in base-salary provisions contained in the settlement. Those payments started on July 1 and included a stipulation that he be paid $50,000 of it by July 7.
Regular payments will continue until the full $339,000 is paid.
The balance of the total settlement agreement — $316,000 — covers the additional financial incentives contained in the contract, including deferred compensation, appearance fees and bonus incentives. That amount will be paid during a period of three years.
Athletics director Max Urick, who reiterated on Friday his desire not to publicly discuss terms of the settlement, said only that Kansas State didn't want its financial commitment toward Asbury to act as a roadblock to the basketball program.
"I wouldn't want the history of anyone to impact the possibility of the future," Urick said. "You have to start fresh."
The two sides were at odds soon after Asbury's dismissal. In late March, Asbury held a makeshift press conference at his home and said that he and Kansas State had significant financial differences
on terms of the termination.
Kansas State released the remaining terms of the settlement agreement Thursday. Asbury, 55, lived in Manhattan until June. He now is living in California and working for a mortgage company. He once earned a real-estate license in the state, he said, and decided to go into business with a friend.
And while Asbury plans to do some scouting for various NBA teams, he's not yet sure if coaching is in his future.
"Right now, I'm not looking to jump back into it," he said.
Asbury also declined to take any shots at his former employer.
"That's a chapter that's over with and done," he said. "I don't regret going to K-State. Things didn't work out maybe the way we hoped, but it wasn't a total disaster."
Darryl Strawberry arrested after non-injury accident
The Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. — Darryl Strawberry, the suspended New York Yankees outfielder who has battled cancer and drug abuse, was jailed yesterday after running into a street sign and then a vehicle stopped at a red light.
Strawberry blacked out at the wheel from prescription medication his lawyer said.
The eight-time All Star faces two misdemeanor charges, driving while impaired and leaving the scene of an accident with damage, plus two counts of probation violation.
Strawberry told officers he had taken the sleeping medication Ambient. He failed a field-sobri
ety test, but a blood-alcohol test showed no alcohol in his system.
W h e n
Strawberry
tried to continue
driving after hitting
the car.
S g t .
Anthony
K o k l a
pulled him
over.
"He just wanted to know:'What did I do? What did I
do?" like he didn't know what happened. "Kolka said."
Strawberry:
blacked out while
driving his car
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