The decision, according to various reports, made him the highest-paid coach in college football, with an eight-year deal worth more than $30 million.

Philadelphia's Shawn Bradley signed an eight-year deal last month worth $44 million.

It will be televised by Fox as part of a new eight-year deal.

The other networks also signed eight-year deals in 1998.

For the 2007 season, an eight-year deal was signed with an $8 million rights fee.

The Rockies announced that their eight-year deal with Hampton was worth $123.8 million.

Fox's current eight-year deal, signed in 1998, pays an annual average of $550 million.

The eight-year deal begins in 2007 and will pay the Rose Bowl an average of $30 million annually.

Later that year, he received an eight-year deal worth $90 million.

Emotion over a business setback wouldn't be a possibility had the league held off negotiating its $17.6 billion in eight-year deals until next week.