Coach was forced to settle, Donovan testifies

Officials threatened McMackin with an investigation if he rejected a buyout

By Ferd Lewis

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 25, 2012

~~<p>The University of Hawaii threatened then-football coach Greg McMackin with an "investigation" in an attempt to force him to accept a lower contract buyout figure, former athletic director Jim Donovan told a state Senate panel Monday.</p>
<p>During a 1-hour, 23-minute session in front of the eight-member Senate Special Committee on Accountability, Donovan said he was ordered to terminate McMackin in December and to get the coach to agree to a $600,000 buyout on a contract that owed him $1.1 million in its last year. Donovan's difficulty in getting McMackin to accept, he said, became a bone of contention with the administration.</p>
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The University of Hawaii threatened then-football coach Greg McMackin with an "investigation" in an attempt to force him to accept a lower contract buyout figure, former athletic director Jim Donovan told a state Senate panel Monday.

During a 1-hour, 23-minute session in front of the eight-member Senate Special Committee on Accountability, Donovan said he was ordered to terminate McMackin in December and to get the coach to agree to a $600,000 buyout on a contract that owed him $1.1 million in its last year. Donovan's difficulty in getting McMackin to accept, he said, became a bone of contention with the administration. Login for more...