Financial accountability / The evidence register
Who got the contract. Who made the decision. What survived the firing. The money deserves the same scrutiny as the scoreboard.
These are separate stages—not four bills to add together. Each record shows the known figures and what has not been verified.
Football · 2003 dismissal
Not verified / not applicable
Full annual compensation at dismissal not verified.
Not verified / not applicable
Complete contract value and amendments not verified.
$786,693
Announced termination package, not all remaining compensation: 31 months of base pay plus the specified bowl amount.
SourceNot verified / not applicable
Final post-firing cash total not verified.
A verified year-by-year schedule is not yet available here.
Only sourced years are shown. Scheduled salary is not proof of money received; missing years are not zero.
Football · September 2007 agreement / November 2007 dismissal
$1,750,000
Annual compensation in the September 2007 agreement; bonuses extra.
SourceNot verified / not applicable
Full guaranteed contract total not reconciled; do not multiply the annual rate and call it money paid.
Not verified / not applicable
Firing-date remainder before settlement not independently reconciled.
$3,130,000
Approximately; AP-reported lump-sum buyout. Assistants excluded.
SourceOnly sourced years are shown. Scheduled salary is not proof of money received; missing years are not zero.
Football · 2014 dismissal
$3,100,000
Reported final-season annual compensation.
SourceNot verified / not applicable
Full contract value across extensions not verified.
$7,900,000
Approximately; initially reported termination obligation, not a sum of every remaining salary and benefit.
SourceNot verified / not applicable
Final cumulative cash paid not reconciled. The approximately $6.54 million revised schedule is not proof of that amount paid.
Only sourced years are shown. Scheduled salary is not proof of money received; missing years are not zero.
Football · 2017 extension / dismissal
$2,900,000
2017 annual base salary in the extension report.
SourceNot verified / not applicable
Complete contract total, bonuses and amendments not reconciled.
$6,630,000
39 scheduled termination installments of $170,000 before offsets or settlement; not full remaining salary.
Source$6,235,393
Reported January 2018 settlement payment; earlier installments not reconciled into a cumulative total.
SourceOnly sourced years are shown. Scheduled salary is not proof of money received; missing years are not zero.
Football · revised 2022 terms / September 11 dismissal
$4,000,000
Scheduled 2022 annual salary, reduced from $5 million.
SourceNot verified / not applicable
Original deal, extensions and conditional addenda not reconciled into one contract total.
$15,000,000
Announced buyout on September 11, 2022; not all remaining salary and not confirmed paid.
SourceNot verified / not applicable
Complete post-firing payments remain unreconciled; later payments were disputed. Announced buyout is not cash received.
Only sourced years are shown. Scheduled salary is not proof of money received; missing years are not zero.
Football · original 2022 hiring agreement, not a current amended-contract audit
$5,500,000
2023 starting annual salary under the original reported schedule; see later scheduled years below.
Source$74,000,000
Original eight-year contract commitment, not money paid or money wasted.
SourceNot verified / not applicable
Not applicable to this record: no firing. Current termination exposure is not calculated from an unreconciled original contract.
Not verified / not applicable
Not applicable: no post-firing payout in this record.
Only sourced years are shown. Scheduled salary is not proof of money received; missing years are not zero.
Men’s basketball · 2012 dismissal
Not verified / not applicable
Annual salary schedule not verified in this register.
Not verified / not applicable
Complete contract value and amendments not verified.
$3,400,000
Maximum reported termination-payment cap, not guaranteed cash paid.
SourceNot verified / not applicable
Actual installments and employment offsets not reconciled.
A verified year-by-year schedule is not yet available here.
Only sourced years are shown. Scheduled salary is not proof of money received; missing years are not zero.
Men’s basketball · original hiring rates / 2019 contract review
$2,500,000
Reported 2019 annual base rate.
SourceNot verified / not applicable
Hiring agreement and later extensions not reconciled into one total.
$2,520,000
Approximately; pre-dismissal estimate at $105,000 per month through March 2021, not a verified final bill.
SourceNot verified / not applicable
Final post-firing payment total not verified.
Only sourced years are shown. Scheduled salary is not proof of money received; missing years are not zero.
Men’s basketball · 2024 amended-and-restated agreement
Not verified / not applicable
Current annual schedule awaits a complete extraction of the executed agreement.
Not verified / not applicable
Current contract total not verified; do not reuse the superseded hiring total.
Not verified / not applicable
No dismissal in this record; termination terms need a current-contract review.
Not verified / not applicable
Not applicable: no post-firing payout in this record.
A verified year-by-year schedule is not yet available here.
Only sourced years are shown. Scheduled salary is not proof of money received; missing years are not zero.
20 records with sources · Do not add these amounts together: salaries, money owed and reported payments are different things.
Football / 2022
$15,000,000
Announced buyout at dismissal
The announced $15 million obligation is not verified as cash received in full. Later payments became the subject of litigation; reporting checked November 2, 2026, Central time.
Scott Frost evidence sourceFootball / 2022
$4,000,000 / year
Scheduled 2022 salary
Reduced from $5 million in revised retention terms. A compensation rate, not a verified cash-payment amount or a severance figure.
Scott Frost evidence sourceFootball / 2022
$7,500,000 difference
Additional announced obligation from timing
Alberts dismissed Frost on September 11, twenty days before the October 1 buyout reduction. This difference is already inside the $15 million announced obligation, not another expense to add.
Trev Alberts / Frost dismissal evidence sourceFootball / 2022
$74,000,000 / eight years
Original 2022 agreement; 90% guaranteed
Alberts described an eight-year, $74 million contract with 90% guaranteed. This is the original hiring agreement, not a current contract audit, cash paid or severance. Later amendments are not reconciled here.
Trev Alberts / Matt Rhule hiring contract evidence sourceMen’s basketball / 2019
≈ $2,520,000 projected
Pre-dismissal contract-based estimate
A contract review projected $105,000 monthly through March 2021, approximately $2.52 million. The $3.287 million combined coach-and-assistants estimate in that report is a different scope. Neither is a verified final payment.
Tim Miles evidence sourceFootball / 2017
$6,235,393
Reported January 2018 settlement payment
The Oregonian reported this settlement payment. It does not reconcile any earlier installments or establish total lifetime cash paid.
Mike Riley evidence sourceFootball / 2017
$2,900,000 / year
2017 base salary in extension report
The reported extension added one year; base pay was $2.9 million in 2017, $3 million in 2018 and $3.1 million in 2019. These are annual rates, not money received after dismissal.
Shawn Eichorst / Mike Riley extension evidence sourceFootball / 2017
≈ $4,580,000 estimated
Projected contractual staff exposure
A contemporaneous review estimated this amount for nine assistants and head strength coach Mark Philipp. Projected exposure, not verified cash paid; separate from Riley's own settlement.
Riley’s assistants and strength coach evidence sourceFootball / 2015
$1,941,501 reported
Later reported staff compensation
NBC Sports reported compensation to eight assistants following Pelini's dismissal. This later figure differs from the contemporaneous $4 million contingent estimate; they are not separate amounts to add.
Pelini’s eight assistants evidence sourceFootball / 2014
≈ $6,540,000
Reported revised payment total
About $7.9 million initially owed; Youngstown State compensation reduced the reported total to approximately $6.54 million. This is not a reconciled cash ledger.
Bo Pelini evidence sourceFootball / 2014
$3,100,000 / year
Reported final-season compensation
Compensation rate reported at dismissal; not additional severance and not a complete year-by-year salary history.
Bo Pelini evidence sourceFootball / 2014
≈ $4,000,000 potential
Contingent assistant-cost estimate
Nebraska Public Media reported an estimated $4 million in potential additional costs if assistants also departed. Not a reconciled final payment total.
Pelini’s assistant staff evidence sourceFootball / 2014
Extended through February 2019
March 2014 one-year extension
Eichorst extended Pelini through February 28, 2019, after Osborne had extended him following the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Eichorst dismissed him later in 2014. The decision extended the term at risk; no new cash amount is inferred here.
Shawn Eichorst / Bo Pelini extension evidence sourceMen’s basketball / 2012
Up to $3,400,000
Reported termination-payment cap
Osborne dismissed Sadler March 9, 2012. Reporting described up to $66,667 monthly until other employment, capped at $3.4 million. A maximum contractual obligation, not verified cash paid.
Tom Osborne / Doc Sadler dismissal evidence sourceFootball / 2007
≈ $3,130,000
Reported lump-sum payment
AP's follow-up reported a $3.13 million lump-sum payment. This rounded figure excludes assistant obligations.
Bill Callahan evidence sourceFootball / 2007
$1,750,000 / year
Five-year agreement announced September 5
The agreement ran through January 31, 2012, replacing $1.5 million annual compensation with $1.75 million plus up to $425,000 in annual bonuses. Tom Osborne dismissed Callahan on November 24, 2007. This is an annual contract rate, not a buyout payment.
Steve Pederson / Bill Callahan extension evidence sourceFootball / 2007
Nine assistant contracts terminated
Official November 24 announcement
Osborne terminated Callahan's contract and all nine assistants' contracts. Assistants were invited to stay during the transition. A verified aggregate assistant payment is not supplied here.
Tom Osborne / Callahan and staff evidence sourceFootball / 2003
$786,693
Announced termination package
Nebraska's dismissal announcement states the contractual package. Final cash paid is not verified here.
Frank Solich evidence sourceFootball / 2003
Decision on record
Official dismissal announcement
Pederson announced the coaching change and the $786,693 package, while acknowledging Solich's 58–19 record. That package is the Solich row above, not a second charge.
Steve Pederson / Solich dismissal evidence sourceMen’s basketball / 2000
≈ $400,000 estimated
Announced liquidated-damages estimate
Byrne's March 13 announcement estimated approximately $400,000 in liquidated damages, with termination effective March 31. An announced estimate, not verified cash paid.
Bill Byrne / Danny Nee dismissal evidence sourceThis register currently contains selected football and basketball evidence, not the complete athletic department's contract history. “Waste” is an editorial judgment, not a dollar category. Salary rates, guarantees, contingent estimates, obligations and reported payments cannot be added into one honest total.
Full executed contracts, amendments, bonuses and annual compensation received are not yet reconciled.
Complete staff severance, non-football contracts and discontinued-program costs still require source documents.
Final payment schedules, employment offsets, settlements and litigation outcomes are not yet one audited ledger.
Signing authority, approving officials, extension dates and dismissal decisions need documentary attribution for each contract.