Alabama State University Board Chairman Locy Baker told the Montgomery Advertiser this weekend that a deal in the works with entertainer Steve Harvey has no ties to a previous contract forged by a former executive that would’ve paid him more than $250,000. Details are still in the works about what Harvey’s role will be with the university, but officials say has not been constructed upon terms of payment or salary for Harvey, a nationally syndicated radio and television host and best-selling author.
The Advertiser reports that former ASU trustee and COO John Knight attempted to broker a deal with Harvey in 2013, which would’ve paid him and his wife $250,000 for a lecture series.
That contract was never fulfilled, a fact emphasized by Baker when asked about the new negotiations.
“I don’t know anything about that contract — I remember hearing about something back then, but not a contract or anything,” Baker said. “Let me say for the record, this deal now has nothing to do with that one, 100 percent. It’s something totally different.”
“Everyone will understand then that this is not a deal where (Harvey) is trying to get anything out of us,” Baker said. “This will be a good deal for us here. We really need someone out there telling people about the good things happening at ASU. No one could do that better for us than Steve Harvey.”
Harvey and school officials announced plans earlier this month for a promotional partnership surrounding the Turkey Day Classic, an annual football game that is among the nation’s most popular and well-attended single-game athletic contests held by a historically black university.
interesting, I guess I expect Steve to donate his money back to the HBCUs that he speaks at anyway