Ex-Idaho Coach Says $20,000 Wasn’t Signing Bonus

Former University of Idaho basketball coach Kermit Davis says the $20,000 he got was part of his salary and was not a signing bonus.

Davis left Idaho earlier this month after just one season to take a job as an assistant at Louisiana State. At last week’s state Board of Education meeting, board members were surprised to learn that Davis had been paid $20,000 above his contract base of about $75,000. Some board members referred to it as a signing bonus.

Board members say they did not authorize the extra $20,000.

In an interview Friday with a Moscow radio station, Davis said the $20,000 wasn’t a signing bonus. He said the agreement was for $95,000 and he did a year’s work for it.

Deputy Attorney General Kirby Nelson is looking into the matter for the board, but says it’s unlikely the state can get the $20,000 back from Davis, even if it was not approved.

Nelson hopes to make a report to the board by next month on who approved the $20,000 and whether they knew it was not authorized by the Board of Education.