Of course all employees are paid directly by the University. A donor might then increase the size of the general athletic fund, but not with any strings attached to a coach. As we saw with the Church’s SEC issue, plausible deniability could easily also exist within BYU.

Next, it can still be $4.28M per year, but a four year contract with a three year option. In that way it isn’t close to $30M for seven years because no option has been exercised.

This is just one possible way of reconciling “what we have heard,” with “what we have heard.” There can be others.