ND's Contract With Willingham

Two parties going in opposite directions

The following was provided by a source within the University:

"...within the 6 year contract were two, three-year clauses. One on behalf of Coach Willingham to accept an NFL offer and the other on behalf of the University based on performance. So, neither party committed to five years or longer unless the other party changed the dynamics of their expectations. When clauses similar to that are contained in any contract where time is a distinct factor, they tend to work against success."

Well, that explains a lot.