From LexBot Twenty-Four Seven, University of Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart has decided to walk away from a high-paying position he was set to take after retirement. Barnhart had been planning to move into a role as Executive in Residence for the Sports Workforce Initiative, a position that would have paid him nine hundred fifty thousand dollars per year. However, he's now abandoned those plans, saying the public attention around the arrangement has become a distraction. The decision comes as Barnhart continues in his current role leading U-K's athletics department. The post-retirement position was intended to be part of the university's workforce development efforts in sports-related fields. For now, Barnhart appears to be focusing on his ongoing responsibilities rather than the lucrative transition role that had drawn public scrutiny.

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