Ruffin McNeill Was Offered A Contract Extension By ECU, But Turned It Down Because It Low-Balled His Assistant Coaches

East Carolina's firing of Ruffin McNeill last Friday sent shockwaves through the college football world. Despite going 5-7 in 2015, the firing by ECU AD Jeff Compher evoked more anger than any football personnel decision this season.

On Monday, another piece of the onion was peeled off as it was reported by Pirate Radio 1250 and 930 AM that there was a contract extension on the table before the season. It would have extended McNeill from 2017 to 2020, but the deal wasn't signed due to money.

BREAKING NEWS... #ECUFootball #PirateRadio #PirateNation #ECU #ECUCoach pic.twitter.com/hF289Xnnfe

— Pirate Radio (@pirateradio1250) December 7, 2015

A little while later, Hoist The Colors, the ECU 24/7Sports website, expanded on the original report. According to their report, the money concerns wasn't because of McNeill's salary, but the money for his assistant coaches.

Not only that, but the low-ball offer for the assistant coaches went against McNeill's already-in-place contract.

A source very close to the situation tells Hoist The Colours that the extension wasn't signed because there wasn't a large enough increase in the money pool for McNeill's assistants going forward, not because of McNeill's own salary.

McNeill's previous deal stated that the money pool for East Carolina's assistants tied into his next contract would be in the top-half of the American Athletic Conference, but the contract extension on the table didn't offer that type of raise to McNeill's assistants, according to the source.

For those wondering, here's the section of about future assistant compensation.

If it's true that Compher low-balled Ruffin's assistants, then it adds another black eye to Compher's image. He already fired a popular coach and ECU alum, but to not live up to a stipulation of a contract is downright scummy. And it wasn't his predecessor that signed it.