Bowden's son gets $537K buyout

[bad14u]

Probably not a big deal to anyone else but here in TLH this was big news and long overdue....who knew the boosters had that kind of pull

http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/6171624

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida State offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden received a $537,000 buyout from the school's boosters to resign.

The settlement was revealed Wednesday when the school released a copy of the agreement Bowden's attorneys reached with the university and its boosters. The resignation takes effect Nov. 26, a day after the season finale against Florida.
Bowden - youngest son of head coach Bobby Bowden - retains his present $141,000 salary until his contract expires next August. He then will receive annual payments of $107,500 until August 2012.

The agreement, dated Nov. 14, was signed by Jeff Bowden, whose legal first name is George, and Andy Miller, president of Seminole Boosters, Inc.

Jeff Bowden had been under fire for the past several years as Florida State's offense declined and his dad defended his performance.

But with Bobby Bowden's contract expiring in January of 2008, it was uncertain how the university was willing to negotiate an extension while Jeff Bowden remained on staff.

"It's just amazing," Bobby Bowden said Wednesday. "When things go wrong the first thing they blame is the offensive coordinator. That's kind of the game we Americans play."

[bad14u]

Another thing that just blows my mind is that Bobby, the head coach, still doesn't think his son is at fault for the decline of the football program. He should be glad that he still has his job...geez! His son would blame the players...saying that "we just don't have the talent". WTF? We would always have one of the top recruiting classes and he says that there is no talent. Pathetic! I guess when his offense was shut out at home for the first time, in like 30 something years, he had to come to the realization that his play calling, or lack there of, stunk.

[SonofBone]

Agreed on all fronts. It is amazing what a good coordinator can do on either side of the ball and conversely, how a bad one can make a great team look mediocre. Only Bobby thought Jeff was capable...nice buyout though. Offensive coordinators seem to have the biggest impact and they always have to stay one step ahead of the defense.

I'm sure they'll be a force to be reckoned with once again. Also, I heard recently that one of the boosters was on record as saying something like, "the problem is either with the jockey or the horses, and we think we've got pretty good horses." I agree because as you mentioned they typically have highly ranked recruiting classes.

Also, if Bobby gets a great OC, things may smooth over and he may be able to hang it up whenever he wants, but either way, I won't be surprised if next year is his last.

[bad14u]

Agreed on all fronts. It is amazing what a good coordinator can do on either side of the ball and conversely, how a bad one can make a great team look mediocre. Only Bobby thought Jeff was capable...nice buyout though. Offensive coordinators seem to have the biggest impact and they always have to stay one step ahead of the defense.

I'm sure they'll be a force to be reckoned with once again. Also, I heard recently that one of the boosters was on record as saying something like, "the problem is either with the jockey or the horses, and we think we've got pretty good horses." I agree because as you mentioned they typically have highly ranked recruiting classes.

Also, if Bobby gets a great OC, things may smooth over and he may be able to hang it up whenever he wants, but either way, I won't be surprised if next year is his last.

:bravonew: Agreed...I don't who they will bring in but it can only get better for FSU. I can only imagine what our next recruiting class will look like once we find out who the next OC will be. Unfortunately as for Bobby's retirement, I doubt he will hang it up until Paterno does and vice versa. They both want to go out as the coach with the most wins in NCAA history.

[coffee-guy]

This will make the Holiday's fun at the Bowden family get together - I could never work with/for my family - not gonna happen...

[bad14u]

This will make the Holiday's fun at the Bowden family get together - I could never work with/for my family - not gonna happen...

He never should have been hired to begin with due to the nepotism issue, but the Bowdens found a loop hole so that he could get the job. He never had to report to Bobby, he would report to another coach. That was suppose to make everything ok. WTF? I dislike Bobby Bowden very much now...

[SonofBone]

This will make the Holiday's fun at the Bowden family get together - I could never work with/for my family - not gonna happen...

If his old man had pushed him out, the holidays would be a hassle, but his dad would've fallen on the sword before he pushed him out. Luckily for Bobby, the boosters knew they risked having to hang onto Jeff because chances of Bobby being forced into retirement this year were next to none.

Hey fog, nice ticker...enjoy your weekend. :)

[bad14u]

If his old man had pushed him out, the holidays would be a hassle, but his dad would've fallen on the sword before he pushed him out. Luckily for Bobby, the boosters knew they risked having to hang onto Jeff because chances of Bobby being forced into retirement this year were next to none.

Hey fog, nice ticker...enjoy your weekend. :)

Bobby has been trying to carry the blame for quite some time now, but it is obvious if you watch the games that he never has a headset on until the offense is off the field. It had come to the point where the old man was ready to punch somebody for blaming his son, plus the bowout at home to Wake Forest was another clincher. He should be happy that his son has a paycheck coming for the next 5 years, since I doubt anyone is going to hire him.

[babyblues]

Can I just go ahead and expose my complete ignorance and ask what happened between Bobby and his son?

[hitmansb]

That's a pretty nice severance package.

[SonofBone]

Can I just go ahead and expose my complete ignorance and ask what happened between Bobby and his son?

Nothing between Bobby and his son. FSU's offense has been stagnant under J. Bowden as OC since M. Richt left for Georgia. Fans have been wanting Jeff gone for awhile. Well, the Boosters stepped up big and bought him out. They're letting him continue to get his salary until next August ($141,000) and paying him like $537,000 to quit now. That is like an additional 4 years worth of coaching to quit now, unbelievable. That is how much they want a winner because I don't think papa Bowden will coach more than 2 or 3.

[bad14u]

Nothing between Bobby and his son. FSU's offense has been stagnant under J. Bowden as OC since M. Richt left for Georgia. Fans have been wanting Jeff gone for awhile. Well, the Boosters stepped up big and bought him out. They're letting him continue to get his salary until next August ($141,000) and paying him like $537,000 to quit now. That is like an additional 4 years worth of coaching to quit now, unbelievable. That is how much they want a winner because I don't think papa Bowden will coach more than 2 or 3.

If they can find a winning OC, Bobby would more than likely stick around until his contract is up. I think he still has 5 years on it. He was riding the gravy train all those years with Richt, so why would he stop now? He is a legend around here. He has his statue, the field is named after him and has a nice check coming in from FSU and who knows how many endorsements he has. FSU has already said that Bobby can retire when he feels he is ready.

[bonebreaker]

If they can find a winning OC, Bobby would more than likely stick around until his contract is up. I think he still has 5 years on it. He was riding the gravy train all those years with Richt, so why would he stop now? He is a legend around here. He has his statue, the field is named after him and has a nice check coming in from FSU and who knows how many endorsements he has. FSU has already said that Bobby can retire when he feels he is ready.

Bobby Bowden IS Fla. State football. He and he alone is responsible for all the facilities for the football program and some of the dollars he has brought in because of the football team spread far and wide at that university. Before he came, Fla. State, (football team), was nothing. Who knows just how many MILLIONS of dollars he is responsible for bringing in to the general scholarship and other funds. They, the alumni and powers that be at Fla. State, will allow Bobby stay there just as long as he wants.

Sure, he screwed up by not dumping his son earlier, however, as a parent, I understand just how tough it would have been for him to do so. Both my sons have worked directly for me while in school/college, (vacations, holidays, between classes, etc.), and honestly, I have no idea how I would have let them go if they would have screwed up, regardless how badly they may have done so. Fortunately, both were excellent employees, so that scenario never even came close. So, I kind of understand why Bobby tolerated that mess for so long. Most fathers never want to see their son(s)/daughter(s), fail at anything, thus poor judgement quite often. BB