Purdue reassures club members of their commitment to Matt Painter – then blames them for lack of donations

As first reported by the Kansas City Star, Matt Painter has become the top-choice for the Missouri head coaching vacancy.

The two parties are reportedly meeting in Florida Tuesday, where Painter and his family have been vacationing after the season. He is expected to be offered a seven-year deal worth $2 million a year. Compare that to his current $1.3 million a year contract now, incentive heavy.

Below is the email sent out to the nearly 9,000 club members.

Tuesday morning, the John Purdue Club sent out an email reassuring members of their commitment to the basketball program and essentially begging for dollars.

The club “is responsible for raising all of the funds necessary to cover the tuition, room and board, books and academic support costs of Purdue’s 500 student-athletes.” They also benefit the fans, friends and alumni that donate money directly to the athletic department with priority seating, football and basketball tickets, and more.

In the email, I got the feeling that the John Purdue Club was blaming fans and donors for letting this happen. It was noted that Purdue “can spend only what we raise, so everyone’s participation will ensure that we retain Matt.” Blame it on the donors. Below is the email.

Dear John Purdue Club Members:

Thanks for the outpouring of support for Matt Painter and for your concern for our Purdue men’s basketball program.

In an effort to allay many of your concerns and dispel much of the misinformation by “unnamed sources”, Athletics Director Morgan Burke has asked me to share with each of you that he is working diligently with President France Córdova and our Board of Trustees to ensure that Matt remains our head coach for many years to come.

Proactively they have made an investment in Matt that was communicated last evening, clearly reinforcing their continued commitment to him and to our championship program. They did not wait to counter anyone else’s offer.  It is my hope that the words and actions of our President, our Board and Morgan will encourage Matt, Jerri and their family to remain with Purdue.

Personally, I have been overwhelmed with the number of e-mails pledging to join the John Purdue Club or increase support.  Ironically, I believe we would not be in this situation had more than 11% of our current membership participated in the Mackey Challenge and more than 150 of our nearly 9,000 members recruited at least one new member.  More of the Big Ten television revenues could have been allocated for compensation for the basketball coaching staff members and less toward the critical path of updating Mackey Arena.

As a self-supporting university auxiliary, we can spend only what we raise, so everyone’s participation will ensure that we retain Matt and provide championship-quality experiences for every single one of our Boilermaker student-athletes.

Thanks for your continued loyal support and passionate commitment….stay tuned!

BOILER UP, HAMMER DOWN, and HAIL PURDUE!

Nancy L. Cross
Sr. Associate Athletics Director-Development and Sports

The athletic department also issued a statement on the situation.

“Just want to reiterate that Matt Painter is our men’s basketball coach,” Purdue assistant athletics director Tom Schott said of the school’s behalf, “and we want him to continue his leadership of the program.

“Last night, the Board of Trustees, President (France) Cordova and Morgan Burke clearly demonstrated Purdue University’s commitment to him and our men’s basketball program. We were proactive and though we will not go into details at this time, we have encouraged Matt to stay through our words and action.

“We want Matt to remain a Boilermaker.”