State calls for UH
to release details
of Jones contractThe move comes after four
years of inquiries from a
UH professor and the media
The state Office of Information Practices says there is "significant" public interest in the University of Hawaii to justify disclosing details of its contracts with head football coach June Jones.
The office, which oversees government open records and meetings laws, issued an opinion letter regarding Jones' contracts yesterday after repeated inquires from a UH journalism professor and members of the media over the last four years.
The document concludes that "the public's interest in the contract outweighs Coach Jones' privacy interest. ... For those reasons, the contract, in its entirety, should be disclosed."
Jones became the highest-paid public employee in state history two months ago when the UH Board of Regents approved a contract that pays him $800,016 a year for five years, with half of the money coming from private contributors.
Before that, Jones had signed his first five-year UH contract in 1999 for about $400,000 a year.
The OIP letter states that because of his compensation and the fact that "Coach Jones is one of the most prominent people in the state ... the public clearly has a public interest -- one which we find to be quite significant -- in knowing the terms of Coach Jones' contract."
Jones, 50, is a former UH player and assistant coach who coached in professional football leagues for 15 years, including the National Football League.
He returned to Hawaii in 1999 and led UH to a 9-4 record, including an Oahu Bowl victory. Coming after an 0-12 record in 1998, it represented the biggest turnaround in college football history. Jones was named college coach of the year by three different national organizations.
On Feb. 1, 1999, UH requested an opinion from OIP as to whether it could release the details of Jones' compensation, including the portion paid by private sources. Following that letter, UH journalism professor Beverly Keever asked for OIP's assistance in her request to UH for access to Jones' contract.
Since Keever's request, the OIP has twice recommended that UH disclose the contract to her, allowing UH to "redact" portions of the contract that UH believed should be withheld. UH officials denied the requests, saying that the contract was "not segregable."
OIP officials repeated the recommendation a third time during a meeting with UH officials on July 16 and again said the university could redact information from the contract they felt should be withheld. However, the OIP opinion yesterday did not state UH's response.
UH officials cited several reasons for keeping Jones' contract private, including that details of the contract could be "frustrating" for athletic director Herman Frazier in "maintaining a cohesive coaching team and successful athletic program."
The release of Jones' contract would "adversely affect" Frazier's "ability to negotiate future contracts with other coaches," according to UH.
OIP officials rejected the argument, stating that "it is simply too unrealistic to think that, even if another coach knew all of the terms of Coach Jones' contract, he or she would demand terms similar to the Coach Jones deal."
Regarding UH's response that Jones' contract is not "segregable," OIP states that such a position is "disingenuous" and that UH should have at least "released a copy of the contract containing Coach Jones' name, the term of the contract, and annual salary."
The OIP also states that UH should also disclose a number of "standard" clauses found in the contract.
UH officials and Jones could not be reached for comment.
