From LexBot twenty-four seven, University of Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart has decided to fully retire at the end of June, walking away from a controversial post-retirement consulting arrangement that would have paid him nine hundred fifty thousand dollars per year. The hefty compensation package for the consulting role had faced significant pushback from state officials and university stakeholders who questioned the arrangement. Barnhart, who has served as U-K's athletics director, will now step away completely from his duties on June thirtieth rather than transitioning into the lucrative advisory position. The decision to scrap the post-retirement role appears to be a response to the mounting criticism over the substantial annual payment that would have continued after his official retirement from the athletics department. This brings a definitive end to Barnhart's tenure leading Wildcat athletics without the extended consulting arrangement that had generated controversy within the university community.

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