Andy Beshear calls out University of Kentucky over Mitch Barnhart golden parachute deal

Outgoing Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart was honored at his retirement ceremony at the Historic Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. Barnhart became UK's AD in 2002. March 6, 2026. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It seems like everyone is upset with the University of Kentucky over the golden parachute deal it handed Mitch Barnhart.

From fans to local media to even national media, UK caught a lot of heat over the deal, and now, you can add Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to the list.

On Tuesday, Beshaer released a statement, saying he is “losing confidence and growing increasingly concerned with the management and decision-making at the University of Kentucky.“

Beshear also expressed frustration with UK’s hiring of a new dean of law, Greg Van Tatenhove, who was apparently hired without approval from the board of trustees, according to Beshear, while members of the UK law faculty opposed the hiring.

You know things are bad when the governor is calling you out, but UK deserves every bit of it. They’ve become an entity that can hire whom they want and throw money around with little to no oversight. President Eli Capiluto handing his good buddy Mitch a $1 million retirement gig without needing approval from the BOT is a painful example of this.

If pressure like this continues to mount, you have to wonder if Mitch will consider resigning from his golden parachute deal and head off into the sunset.