Mitch Barnhart spent part of Friday’s press conference explaining and defending the role he will take after stepping down as Kentucky’s athletic director later this year.
After 24 years leading UK Athletics, Barnhart will retire as athletic director on June 30 and transition into a new position as the university’s first Executive in Residence for the UK Sports and Workforce Initiative. The role, which begins June 1, will focus on mentoring students and helping create career pathways in the sports
industry.
During the press conference, Barnhart addressed criticism surrounding the position and the compensation attached to it, which includes a salary of $950,000 annually with benefits through August 2030.
Barnhart pushed back strongly on the idea that the role represents a “golden parachute” following his retirement as athletic director.
He said the criticism came from “some couple of two or three knuckleheads” and called the notion that he would simply retire comfortably without contributing to the university “ridiculous garbage.”
Barnhart explained that the new role was developed after conversations with University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto about the future of an “ambassador clause” that previously existed in his contract. Those discussions eventually turned into a plan to build a sports and workforce initiative focused on mentoring students and helping them pursue careers in the sports business.
Barnhart said he regularly receives 20 to 30 resumes each month from people interested in working in sports but who often do not know how to break into the industry.
“To teach, mentor, and grow. That’s what I want to do,” Barnhart said.
He added that the initiative will continue to evolve as it develops, describing the role as something that will be built from the ground up.
