Under New Contract, Sean Miller Will Owe Arizona $1 Million If He's Charged With a Crime Or Found Guilty Of an NCAA Violation

Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller has been one of the most public faces of the FBI’s investigation into college basketball recruiting practices. Miller has made it through all that so far, but the Arizona Board of Regents evidently isn’t convinced he’s out of the woods just yet.

Because according to the Arizona Republic …

"Arizona’s head men’s basketball coach Sean Miller would forfeit $1 million if he commits a major NCAA violation or is criminally charged related to his employment, under an amended contract going before the Arizona Board of Regents for approval this week."

Notice the phrasing there. Miller needs only to be charged with a crime — not tried or convicted — to violate the terms of his contract. A clause of this nature is not generally something anybody has ever thought it necessary to include in coaching contracts, but we live in strange times, times in which the FBI is shaking down sneaker reps and assistant coaches to get the real dirt, pal.

" The regents, who oversee Arizona’s three state universities, typically review the multiyear contracts of head football and basketball coaches annually. They may add new contract language or opt to extend the number of years to maintain five-year contracts. Miller’s contract was last updated in February 2017. The $1 million penalty is the biggest change to his contract this year. "

Miller’s contract with Arizona runs until 2022, with $2.9 million per year guaranteed.