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Rumor mill Davis says reports of meeting with Browns are untrue
Updated: Monday January 01, 2001 4:07 PM
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- University of Miami head coach Butch Davis denied a report Sunday that he planned to meet with Cleveland Browns president Carmen Policy. "That was news to me," Davis said. "That was a shock. I didn't even know they fired the coach. I know Bernie Kosar owns a piece of the team, but other than that, I don't know anybody." The Browns have not made a decision on head coach Chris Palmer's future, but ESPN reported that Davis will meet with Policy on Wednesday, the day after the Hurricanes play Florida in the Sugar Bowl. Dwight Clark, the Browns' vice president of football operations, said he had no knowledge of a meeting reportedly planned between Davis and Policy. "I have not heard that in our building at all," Clark told The Plain Dealer for story printed Sunday. "I don't know anything about it." Since Miami's final regular-season game, Davis has also denied interest in coaching the expansion Houston Texans or the Redskins. "The only thing I'm going to do when I get back is try to interview three guys for one of our defensive positions," Davis said.
Davis said defensive backs coach Chuck Pagano is being considered for the defensive coordinator job. If he promotes Pagano, Davis would then need to hire a secondary coach. Davis didn't want to disclose the names of the coaches he planned to interview. Davis also said he was getting close to signing a new contract with the Hurricanes. Miami athletic director Paul Dee started negotiations with Davis' agent, Marvin Demoff, more than a month ago. "If we just had some time to sit down and meet," Davis said. "Things are getting real, real close. There's like maybe one issue still left. Probably if we didn't have a bowl game and if I wasn't recruiting, it would already be done. "Hopefully next week we'll get back and try to hammer this thing out. I'm anxious to get it done and get going on recruiting." Miami has offered Davis a new five-year deal worth about $1.3 million annually. Davis, 49, is in his fourth year of a seven-year contract that pays him about $900,000 annually. Dee said last week that the two sides were still trying to work out the length of the contract. Dee wants a five-year deal; he said Davis wants a shorter deal. But Davis said the final sticking point was the salary structure. "It's not the length of the contract, it's not necessarily the salaries, it's not much about the facilities and stuff anymore," Davis said. "It has to do with the way in which the salary is structured. It's not the total package; it's just the way in which it's divided up."
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