Former Cleveland Browns Head Coach Butch Davis is Back in the NFL
Former Cleveland Browns head coach Butch Davis has been officially announced as a “special assistant” to new Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano.
The reason that he is not an actual “coach,” per se, has to do with Davis’ severance package from North Carolina. It is stated in his contract with the university that he would receive far less severance pay if he accepted another coaching job between 2013-15, resulting in this special assistant to the head coach position.
Davis is yet another example of a college coach who led a program right into a scandal, only to leave it in shambles for the greener pastures of the NFL. The only difference in this case is that Davis was actually fired from UNC during an NCAA investigation of academic misconduct and improper benefits.
He received $933,500 of his buyout by the end of 2011 and is scheduled to receive three $590,000 payments annually starting next January. With his new title, it is likely that Davis will be able to earn all of that.
Coach Davis was never linked to any violation during the investigation, but he was fired nonetheless. Now, he looks to resurrect his career back in the friendly confines of the National Football League. What his renewed presence in the league does to the collective psyche of Browns fans remains to be seen.