Report: Louisville's Bobby Petrino set to collect $500,000 academic bonus
Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino is set to collect a $500,000 bonus for the football program's academic performance, even though he was not employed at the school during the time the school is basing the bonus on, reports ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell.
The bonus is based on the Academic Progress Rate (APR), which the NCAA says is a "team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete, each term.”
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Louisville sports information director Kenny Klein told Rovell that the school is still determining scores for the fall semester of 2013.
Louisville hired Petrino in January after Charlie Strong left to take the head coaching job at the University of Texas. Petrino’s contract states that the school will pay him a bonus this month if the football program’s collective APR is above 935.
Strong only had a $50,000 bonus if the program’s APR was above 950, according to the report.
This academic year, institutions must have a 930 four-year average APR or a two-year 940 average to be eligible for postseason play.
Petrino is making a reported $3 million this season in his second stint at the school. He coached the program from 2003-06, before leaving to coach the Atlanta Falcons.
Louisville (7-3, 5-3 ACC), which next plays Notre Dame on Nov. 22, is in its first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, after spending one season in the American Athletic Conference.
- Scooby Axson
