Big bucks Pete

In June, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that former USC football coach Pete Carroll received $4.1 million in compensation in the 2008-2009 fiscal year — a seemingly staggering figure, but when you consider that Carroll’s $4,415,714 in earnings in 2006-2007 made him the highest-paid college employee in the country, that’s not surprising.

But now, records obtained by The Chronicle show that most recent number to be higher — about $4.6 million total.

Tax records show USC paid $500,000 to a privately owned, Washington-based company, “Compete Inc,” that lists Carroll as its president. The payments were for “services performed” by Carroll, and were not included in the original $4.1 million in base salary and incentives that Carroll received.

In January, Carroll left USC for the head coaching position of the Seattle Seahawks. Months later, a major NCAA investigation of the university’s football and basketball programs returned a bevy of sanctions that included a large cut in scholarships as well as a two-year ban from postseason play.