APNewsBreak: Capel received $1.75M buyout from OU

Published Nov. 10, 2011 2:26 a.m. ET

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Oklahoma paid former basketball coach Jeff Capel $1.75 million in addition to his monthly salary after firing him following back-to-back losing seasons.

According to documents released Wednesday to The Associated Press in response to an open records request, Oklahoma continued to pay Capel his monthly salary through the end of June, under the terms of his contract. In addition to that, the documents show that Capel also received $500,000 extra at the end of May and a $1.25 million lump sum at the end of June.

The school has refused to provide details of Capel's buyout but released a list of all payments to the coach since he was hired in 2006.

Capel was fired in March after the Sooners had their first consecutive losing seasons since 1966-67.

Capel was entitled to $1.55 million during 2010-11 - or $129,166 per month - under his latest contract extension that was approved by the university's board of regents in June 2009. His deal called for that amount to continue to roll in through the June after his termination.

He also was to receive his annual base salary of $250,000 per year through the end of that contract in 2016 regardless of if he got fired. With five years left on his contract when he was let go in March, that adds up to the $1.25 million payment Capel received on June 30.

Athletic director Joe Castiglione did not respond to a message Wednesday seeking an explanation for why Capel received $633,333 in May instead of his usual monthly payout of $129,166 - a difference of more than $504,000.

Capel was 96-69 in five seasons as the Sooners' coach, taking the team to the regional finals of the 2009 NCAA tournament when Blake Griffin was the national player of the year and eventual No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. But he followed that by going 27-36 over the next two seasons, despite having three McDonald's All-Americans on his roster.

Capel is now an assistant coach at Duke, where he played his college ball.