UK booster asks President Capilouto to reverse Mitch Barnhart’s $950K role

Mitch Barnhart may say that the golden parachute narrative around him is a “ridiculous notion” started by “two or three knuckleheads” who said he would “sit in a rocking chair and eat hay all day,” even though neither he nor his boss could explain his new role as Executive in Residence for the UK Sports and Workforce Initiative. However, there are many more knuckleheads in Big Blue Nation than Barnhart will admit, including several of the school’s top boosters.

One of those boosters, Brett Setzer, has been vocal on social media about Barnhart’s new gig, earning him a spot on our suspect list of knuckleheads. On Monday, Setzer took his concerns straight to the top with a letter to University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto.

KSR obtained a copy of the letter, and in it, Setzer began by expressing his lifelong loyalty to the Wildcats and his family’s financial commitment to several of UK’s athletic programs. “Supporting student athletes and the traditions of UK Athletics has been a source of pride for our family,” he wrote.

He also described Big Blue Nation as a “loyal, committed, sincere, authentic, and transparent community that lives and dies with the Cats.”

For years, BBN has helped lift trophies and raise championship banners, but recently it has also borne the cost of progress with higher ticket prices to fund updating facilities for struggling programs, endured inexplicable season meltdowns, and weathered the occasional scandal. Through it all, BBN remains steadfast in its devotion.

Then came his concerns with Barnhart’s new executive position, the one without a description, calling it “deeply misguided” and an insult to the athletes and coaches in the secondary sports. He also took offense to Barnhart’s handling of legitimate questions and the name-calling of the “knuckleheads” who have serious concerns:

And this is why the decision to place Mitch Barnhart in an executive position without even a formal job description is deeply misguided. Apart from the shifting narrative surrounding the funding source, the astonishing salary for a role that apparently was not even contemplated just weeks ago, and the reality that the position will ultimately cost the University far more once benefits, perks, and lost revenues are factored in; the deal sends the wrong message. In what other part of the University would someone be allowed to bypass established policies and long-standing practices to richly reward an individual with what amounts to the first NIL-style arrangement for someone other than an athlete?

This deal insults the athletes and coaches in the smaller programs that struggle to secure meaningful NIL support. It’s a slap in the face to donors who are constantly told that the program always comes first. And it sends a troubling message to the rest of the UK community and BBN; administrators’ first priority is to take care of themselves, using other people’s money. The fact there appears to be little willingness to even acknowledge or discuss these concerns only reinforces the sense that the decision was misguided from the start.

Decisions like this should be carefully considered, communicated transparently, and ultimately made for the benefit of students, the very reason the University of Kentucky exists. None of that happened. Shutting down legitimate questions and resorting to name-calling falls well below the dignity of any university, and especially one like UK.

Lastly, a call for Capilouto to reverse the decision:

The decision should be reversed. If Mitch Barnhart is unwilling to continue as Athletic Director, the University should settle the contract and allow him to move on without leaving a lingering shadow of criticism and cronyism over an institution that so many care deeply about.

Cordially,

Brett T. Setzer

He CC’d the UK Athletics Committee and the Board of Trustees.

The issue is now firmly inside the building, not just a conversation among “knuckleheads.”