$333,333 A Win Is Quite a Deal
The University of Louisiana-Lafayette, known better to you as UL-LAF or the Ragin’ Cajuns, fired coach Jerry Baldwin in 2001 after the coach piled up an impressive 6-27 record in three seasons. Baldwin then sued, because in addition to being paid a six-figure salary to win two games a year, Baldwin claimed he was given a special side benefit of being a black coach in Louisiana: A racial discrimination package from the fans. ↵↵A jury of six white jurors and six black jurors backed him up on the claim, and awarded Baldwin two mil on the way out the door. I don’t know whether this is true, or whether Baldwin is just trying to stick his former employer for a huge wad of cash, or why any one ever watches any movie ever with Ed Norton, Jr. in it. (Because Norton is an insufferable, hammy twit in everything else he’s ever been in -- ed.) ↵
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↵What I do know is that Baldwin drove the Ragin' Cajuns football program deep into the muck of the bayou, somehow managed to last three years in the job while pulling down a serious salary, and then stuck his employer for 2 mil on the way out the door. No matter the truth of the case, Baldwin's $2 million middle finger on exit represents an impressive roadmap for any of you wanting to ditch your horrible day jobs, put some stink on the post-firing litigation, and then haul in a fat post-job settlement. It's a masterwork of the genre, really, especially because Baldwin didn't even stay in coaching afterwards, instead choosing to become a minister. ↵
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↵For that, we salute you, Jerry Baldwin, master of the proper fiery goodbye. James McAvoy's character in Wanted wants to say nice job, and you didn't even have to mess up your nice ergonomic keyboard to get your point across. At $333,333 a win, that's quite a deal -- better than the $666,666 (OMG notice the number! -- Auburn fan) Alabama paid for each of their seven wins this past year under Nick Saban, who will become a minister when I become a ... well, a minister. ↵
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