Bertman to get contract extension as LSU athlethic director

LSU’s governing board approved a new $425,000-per-year contract for Athletic Director Skip Bertman on Friday, an approval that Bertman acknowledged might have come earlier had it not been for the furor surrounding Pokey Chatman’s abrupt resignation last month.

A day after the LSU Board of Supervisors’ athletic committee quickly approved the contract on Thursday, the full board approved it Friday morning with little discussion.

The contract package for Bertman was first announced in February. It calls for Bertman to remain in his current job through next spring. He would then remain at LSU in an emeritus role, focusing on fundraising, at the same salary until June 2010.

The board delayed a vote on the contract at its March 9 meeting _ two days after Chatman, the women’s basketball coach, abruptly resigned amid reports that she had been accused of improper relationships with former players. LSU board attorney Ray Lamonica said Thursday the allegations involved sexual conduct with more than one player.

A spokesman insisted last month that the delay on Bertman’s contract had nothing to do with the circumstances surrounding Chatman’s resignation or how that was handled by the athletic department.

On Thursday, however, Bertman cited the Chatman situation as the main cause for the monthlong stall.

“The delay was the basketball situation for the ladies and the timing,” Bertman said outside the LSU boardroom. “They just couldn’t put it through. For them, it was too delicate.”

The LSU board’s athletic committee, with nearly all the board members attending, approved Bertman’s new contract with little discussion and no objections. Bertman didn’t address the board about his contract and left before the vote.

University Chancellor Sean O’Keefe told the board he recommended Bertman’s contract and a contract extension for James Moffitt, an athletics department strength and conditioning coach, with “very strong enthusiasm.”

Before becoming athletic director in 2001, Bertman led the Tigers to five national championships during his 18 years as the school’s baseball coach. Under his leadership, the LSU football team won a Bowl Championship Series title.

Chatman has hired lawyer Mary Olive Pierson, who is arguing that Chatman is entitled to damages and additional compensation from the final years of her contract with LSU.

Bertman said he didn’t know if Chatman would file a lawsuit for the money and had worried more about replacing her with a “super coach.” He referred legal questions about Chatman to Lamonica.

Pierson said she was told the allegation involving Chatman was supposed to have happened seven years ago, when Chatman was a 30-year-old assistant coach. Pierson said the alleged conduct would not be deemed inappropriate by university standards unless a student or player was mistreated or given favors because of it.

Pierson said she has asked to talk to the LSU Board of Supervisors about the matter.

Former Olympic and WNBA coach Van Chancellor was named the new women’s basketball coach last week.

Bertman’s new contract begins July 1. It includes a university vehicle or car allowance along with the salary. The university can end the contract without cause with 30 days notice and approval of the LSU Board of Supervisors. Bertman can end the contract with 10 days written notice.

Bertman will become athletics director in an emeritus role by June 30, 2008, a position that requires him to appear in fundraising events. Since becoming athletic director, Bertman has been known for his money-raising skills, helping to spearhead the campaigns to raise dollars to renovate the football stadium and construct new baseball and softball stadiums.

“I don’t necessarily want to be the AD forever, but I do want to help with fundraising,” Bertman said.