FAU Spent Surprisingly Little Money To Fire Willie Taggart

Florida Atlantic University didn't need to break the bank to fire Willie Taggart.

Taggart was cut loose by the Owls after going 15-18 through three seasons with the program, but it wasn't an expensive decision to make.

Steve Berkowitz reported that Taggart is owed just $288,462 in buyout money.

FAU fired Willie Taggart after three seasons with the Owls. (Photo by Aaron Gilbert/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

If you can get rid of your coach for the price of a very nice luxury car or boat, the decision becomes incredibly easy.

Why can't Jimbo Fisher be fired? Because he's owed more than $85 million in fully-guaranteed money still left on his contract.

FAU owes Willie Taggart less than $300,000 in buyout money. (Photo by Aaron Gilbert/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

That makes firing him essentially impossible. That wasn't the case at all with Willie Taggart. He was owed less than $300,000.

That's a rounding error for an athletic department, even one of FAU's size. If your buyout is that low, your program has no incentive to not dump you at the first sign of trouble or a better option.

The entire point of a buyout is to make it so high the school doesn't want to bite the bullet. Clearly, FAU wasn't afraid to write Taggart a check for $288,462 because he's gone.

FAU fired Willie Taggart after multiple disappointing seasons. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Fortunately for Willie Taggart, he was owed roughly $14 million when FSU fired him. He definitely should be fine financially for a long time.