The newly hired Cal State Long Beach President Robert Maxson may be bringing some extra baggage from his previous post at UNLV.
On April 1, 1992, a contract was signed hiring Rollie Massimino as UNLV men's basketball coach. The contract, read into the minutes of the April 9 and 10, 1992 Board of Regents meeting obtained by the Daily Forty-Niner, define the contract: "President Maxson stated that the base salary is $106,000 with $89,000 allocated from State funds; $105,000 for public relation fees with an agreement that UNLV can recover either a portion or all of the fees for public appearances; $175,000 for TV/radio/newspaper package with the Athletic Department assisting with private business arrangements as is done with other coaches around the country. All business arrangement will be handled by the university, not privately by the coach."
Maxson, according to articles printed by the Las Vegas SUN earlier this month, participated in a "secret" supplemental contract that boosted Massimino's salary from the Board of Regents approved $511,000 annual salary to $886,000 without the regent's knowledge while president of UNLV.
The SUN reported that the second contract was signed April 2, 1992 and that it guaranteed Massimino an average of $375,000 more a year than the amount specified in the original contract, and that Maxson and legal counsel Brad Booke, set up a nonprofit organization, "The Varsity Club," to funnel the extra $375,000 to Massimino. Booke was the attorney who worked for the board of regents.
In a telephone interview Maxson said, "The Varsity Club is the civic leaders and there was not one penny that went from the university or the foundation to that group at all. There is no second contract between the university and Massimino. There is no secret contract between the university and Massimino. There is an agreement between Massimino and business leaders with some private business arrangements."
Maxson stressed that the minutes contained his announcement that the Athletic Department would assist with private business arrangements and that the minutes showed no challenge to the contract amounts or the private business arrangements by the regents.
"At first there was going to be a second contract for his seperate public relations work, but it was decided that that was inappropriate and that contract was later voided," said Maxson. "There is only one contract. What was left then was the coach's agreement with the civic leaders. He requested that his private business arrangements be kept private and since it wasn't with the school it was honored."
Responding to the allegations Maxson said, "I'm concerned about Coach Massimino. This type of attack after I'm gone is grossly unfair. It's absurd. It's the most stupid thing I've heard. Some of the regents are staunch Tarkanian supporters and everyone knows it."
Booke, in a telephone interview, said "Jerry Tarkanian has been employed for years by the SUN. It's important to keep that it mind. The claim being made today that this was a secret is nothing but political garbage by people who want to bring Jerry Tarkanian back."
UNLV interim president Kenny Guinn could not be reached for comment at time of publication.
"I was actually present when Dr. Maxson explained the contract to (Carolyn) Sparks (then chairman of the Board of Regents)," said Booke. "It was not something that required the board of regent's approval. Dr. Maxson was just trying to explain it to her. A week later he explained to the board in a formal meeting that there was a private outside arrangement to be made. There were, at the time, three lawyers on the board of regents, so if anyone had any questions about it, they could have certainly raised them at that time."
Jerry Tarkanian, men's basketball coach at UNLV previous to Massimino, resigned after a scandal concerning a connection between a convicted fixer of college basketball games, Richard "The Fixer" Perry and the UNLV Rebels. In addition, Maxson also said, there were several other NCAA allegations against the basketball team.
"I am now president of Cal State Long Beach and I refuse to continue this debate over whether Tarkanian should be the coach at UNLV again. That's the real issue."