Particle.news
Download on the App Store
9 ARTICLES
·
3w ago

University of Kentucky Scraps $950,000 Post for Mitch Barnhart as He Sets June 30 Exit

The move follows a public rebuke from Kentucky’s governor over a nearly $1 million post-retirement contract.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear waves to the audience as he arrives onstage at the National Action Network (NAN) Convention in New York, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Overview

  • The University of Kentucky, which announced the change Thursday, said Mitch Barnhart will retire June 30 and forgo the planned executive-in-residence role.
  • The role carried about $950,000 a year through August 2030 under a contract Barnhart had already signed.
  • President Eli Capilouto said he will raise private money to cover any departure pay, not athletic, NIL, or university funds.
  • The reversal followed Gov. Andy Beshear’s Tuesday critique of a “$1 million job with no defined duties” at the public university.
  • Barnhart has led UK Athletics since 2002 as the SEC’s longest-serving athletics director, setting up a closely watched leadership change.