Social media reacts to Iowa athletic director Gary Barta's retirement announcement

Gary Barta's announcement Friday that he's retiring as Iowa athletics director after 17 seasons brought on a slew of social-media reactions.

According to a news release, this was Barta’s decision and not made suddenly. His contract was set to expire on June 30, 2024, but he opted to step aside from a high-paying, high-pressure job 11 months early. Under the terms of Barta’s deal, he was being paid more than $1 million per year − $650,000 in base salary and $400,000 annually in deferred compensation.

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Barta's tenure at Iowa has been a complicated one, filled with on-the-field success but several costly lawsuits off the field. As a result, the immediate reactions were mixed — with plenty of suggestions that Beth Goetz should be Barta's replacement.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com.