The financial score between P.J. Fleck and his former employer has officially been settled.
According to mlive.com, Fleck, athletic director Kathy Beauregard confirmed to the website, has satisfied the $600,000 obligation owed to Western Michigan. Fleck owed the money as a buyout after leaving as WMU’s head football coach for the same job at Minnesota in early January.
The news comes nearly a month to the day that WMU announced that Fleck would be taking his “Row the Boat” mantra with him to Minnesota. In return for the rights to the very personal saying, Fleck will make an annual payment of $10,000 over the next five years, with the $50,000 being used to support a scholarship for a WMU football player.
In his four years at WMU, Fleck guided the Broncos to a 30-22 record. The 2016 season launched Fleck to national prominence as he guided the Broncos to a perfect 13-0 regular season that included a MAC championship. That earned WMU the Group of Five’s New year’s Six berth, although the perfect season and Cinderella story was spoiled by Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl.
Fleck takes over a program in Minneapolis that went 9-4 last season.