A top UK booster calls Barnhart retirement job ‘deeply misguided,’ urges reversal | Opinion
One of the University of Kentucky’s top boosters is still extremely disappointed that Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart was given a “golden parachute,” as he announced his retirement earlier this month — a vague job as sports ambassador for nearly $1 million a year.
Brett Setzer, one of UK football’s biggest supporters, sent a letter Monday to UK President Eli Capilouto, the UK Board of Trustees, and the UK Athletics Committee urging them to reverse the decision to pay Barnhart $950,000 a year to be part of the new “UK Sport and Workforce Initiative,” something so new and undefined that even as of March 23, it has almost no presence on the UK website.
Setzer, a Lexington native who built successful real estate and construction companies here, shared the letter with the Herald-Leader. In it, he calls the Barnhart decision “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,” Setzer wrote. “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?”
In his letter and subsequent conversations, Setzer has made it clear that like many others, he is concerned about the new NIL landscape for college sports, which has resulted in UK Athletics going from being financially self-supporting to borrowing millions of dollars from UK’s general fund.
In the letter, Setzer said Barnhart’s new role is “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.”
Setzer, who said he had pledged at least $3 million to the football program, also called out Barnhart’s subsequent remarks in which he called people questioning his new job “knuckleheads.”
“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,” he wrote. “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.
“The decision should be reversed,” Setzer concluded. “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.”
Setzer’s calm and dispassionate letter is a welcome addition to this conversation because while UK can dismiss the thoughts of columnists and radio hosts, it needs to care about the people who financially support their programs. Now more than ever.
Indeed, Barnhart’s obvious anger at being questioned by the public for whom he works as a public university employee, and UK officials’ refusal to clearly discuss how the decision was made, shows how far the university has fallen into a corporate business model that sees itself as immune from public concerns.
UK spokesman Jay Blanton said the school had not received the letter as of Monday afternoon.
“However, we respect Mr. Setzer as a valued supporter of our program and hope to meet with him to further understand his concerns,” Blanton said.
The new athletics structure is many things, good and bad, but above all, it depends on a lot of goodwill from the Big Blue Nation. Setzer is one of many people who is upset about this latest turn; maybe he will be able to get some answers.
As he also wrote:
“Big Blue Nation is 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. The fanbase reflects the honest, hard-working character of Kentucky as a whole; good people who want their teams to succeed by doing things the right way.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 2:48 PM.
