Florida Denies Negotiating Contract Buyout With Jim McElwain
The University of Florida issued a statement denying a report that the Gators were negotiating a contract buyout with football head coach Jim McElwain.
Sports lawyer and Forbes contributor Darren Heitner took to Twitter on Saturday morning and said that McElwain's agent Jimmy Sexton and Florida were in talks regarding a buyout but were "miles apart" on any agreement. He also said that boosters had been called on to pool money in anticipation of possibly hiring a new head coach.
Yahoo Sports!'s Pat Forde quickly shot down the rumor with a report from a source that there have been no conversations between Florida and Sexton regarding McElwain's future.
"No one representing the University of Florida or our athletic department has had any conversations with Coach McElwain or his representatives regarding a buyout of his contract," athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. "Our focus is on this great Florida-Georgia rivalry today in Jacksonville."
Florida is 3–3 on the season. The buyout rumors come just days after McElwain told reporters that he had received death threats.
• Are Jim McElwain's Death Threat Claims Another Step Toward a Split With Florida?
"I think it's a pretty good lesson for the way things are," McElwain said on Monday. "There's a lot of hate in this world. A lot of anger, and yet, it's freedom to show it. The hard part is, obviously, when the threats are against your own players. Death threats to your families. The ill-will that's brought upon out there...In this business, we're the ones who you take the shots at, and that's the way it is."
The university spoke with McElwain about the threats but he provided no additional details.
