John Calipari makes a lot of money.

There’s no denying $31.65 million is a lot of money. Then you tack on the bonuses for winning the Southeastern Conference Tournament, for NCAA Final Four appearances, for increasing the team’s graduation rate, not to mention the cars, the expense account and the golf club membership — the man has it made.

When Calipari signed the UK Athletics Board-approved $31.65 million contract on Tuesday, he not only became the 22nd men’s basketball head coach, but he also became a very lucky — and wealthy — man.

We can be jealous and we can gawk at the pages of compensation bonuses outlined in his 20-page contract, but we can’t be mad. Calipari makes a lot of money because UK Athletics makes a lot of money — so much money that it can afford to pay the high salaries of its coaches and even donate money back to the university for non-athletic scholarships.

“In order to clear up any confusion on funding of UK coaches’ contracts, all athletics expenditures — including coaches’ salaries — are paid by (UK’s) athletic revenues,” said John Hayden, assistant director of UK Athletics Media Relations in an e-mail to the Kernel. “ … In addition, the athletics association gives over $1.2 million annually to the university for non-athletic scholarships.”

UK Athletics receives no tax money, state appropriations or university funding; all of its revenues come from endorsements and donations. Even the basketball coach’s base salary — the $400,000 minimum that is required to be paid to the person in the position — is paid for by UK Athletics. The university is an entirely separate financial entity that pays for none of Calipari’s salary.

Tuition will go up over the next few years — it always does — and students won’t make near the income that the new basketball coach will. We will be broke and we will envy him but we can’t blame him for tuition hikes or for budget cuts. None of what Calipari is making will affect the students at UK.

UK Athletics got it right this time. The men’s basketball coaching search was fast and the man signed a contract, not a “memorandum of understanding.” His price tag might be high — even the highest-ever in college basketball — but he’s got the heavy burden of turning around a basketball program and serving as an ambassador in the Lexington community resting on his shoulders.

His contract clearly lays out his job expectations and the consequences of not following them. If Calipari leaves, there will be no debate over how much he owes or is owed. That’s what his contract is for.

And if he doesn’t work out as men’s basketball head coach — if the pressure is too much or he can’t win games — UK students won’t see tuition go up for that either. UK Athletics will pay that bill, too.

And they can afford it because UK Athletics brings in millions of dollars in revenues from donations, media contracts and endorsements every year. At a school with a winning athletics tradition, money isn’t an issue when it comes to recruiting a good coach. Not even $31.65 million.

LINK: Download John Calipari’s contract