Top Rutgers Lawyer Gets $420K to Step Down

The former Rutgers University lawyer who approved a decision to discipline but not fire the basketball coach who hit, kicked and taunted players will receive a $420,000 severance package.

The school says former general counsel John Wolf will receive a lump sum payout equal to 18 months of his $280,775 annual salary.

Wolf resigned Thursday amid criticism of his decision to approve a suspension of men's basketball coach Mike Rice in December.

Rice was fired last week after a video surfaced that showed him shoving and kicking players and using gay slurs. He's in line to receive just over $1 million under his contract.

At a town hall meeting on Monday, Rutgers students and faculty expressed outrage after learning about the former athletic director Tim Pernetti's severance package. Pernetti, who resigned in the wake of former basketball coach Mike Rice's controversy, will receive $1.2 million in salary and a $12,000 car allowance.