Chatman accepted a settlement offer of $160,000 from LSU general counsel Ray Lamonica, ending all contractual ties between Chatman and the university and any future threats of lawsuits by Chatman.

"In a nutshell, we'll take it," said Mary Olive Pierson, who has been Chatman's lawyer since Chatman's sudden resignation on March 7. "And by accepting it, we now cannot sue LSU over Pokey's resignation."

Chatman, who took LSU to three straight Final Fours from 2004-06, resigned after LSU learned that she allegedly had improper relationships with past LSU women's basketball players while their head coach.

Pierson said Chatman will be pursuing other coaching opportunities and did not want to be interviewed at this time.

"She is not ready to talk now," Pierson said. "After some time passes, she may want to."

In April, Pierson threatened to sue LSU for nearly $900,000 for forcing Chatman's resignation without just cause. Chatman had two years left on her contract and was making a salary package in the $425,000 range.

Last week, Pierson said that Chatman would settle for the bonus money that LSU promised to pay at the time of her resignation, even though Chatman did not coach the team in the NCAA Tournament. Her last game was in the Southeastern Conference Tournament in early March.

LSU reached the Final Four under interim coach Bob Starkey, making Chatman eligible through her contract for NCAA postseason bonus dollars. Those bonus totals, however, can be interpreted two ways in Chatman's contract with one equaling $160,000 to $170,000 and the other equaling $75,000.

Pierson wanted the bonus total to be the cumulative sum of $170,000. Lamonica interpreted the wording as the highest single achieved incentive, which would be $75,000. But Lamonica relented in a letter to Pierson today that other LSU coaches have contracts that offer bonus money cumulatively and thus offered $160,000. Another confusing part of the contract does not make it clear if reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament is worth a bonus of $10,000 or $20,000. Lamonica chose $10,000 to reach the $160,000 total.

"We remain convinced that Coach Chatman is entitled, as a matter of law, to $75,000," Lamonica wrote in his letter to Pierson. "LSU's consideration of your most recent proposal, however, has caused further discussion among senior members of the Athletic Department and led us to consider another factor not previously raised by you or focused upon by us. Some head coach contracts, each of which is separately negotiated at different times and under unique circumstances, contain substantially different language from Coach Chatman's in that the post-season incentives are cumulative."

Contracts for football coach Les Miles and men's basketball coach John Brady received by Gannett News Service clearly indicate cumulative bonus money.

"I am advised that the Athletic Department did not make a conscious policy decision to establish such a difference," Lamonica said in his letter. "In light of that fact, LSU has concluded that it would be equitably appropriate to extend cumulative treatment to the incentives under Coach Chatman's contract."

LSU associate athletic director for business Mark Ewing told GNS two months ago that most of LSU's contracts include "cumulative" bonus dollars and put Chatman's total at $170,000 at that time. Senior associate women's athletic director Judy Southard read the contract differently and said Chatman was owed $75,000.

"They told Pokey when they increased her bonus package after the 2006 season that it was cumulative," Pierson said.

Chatman was a star point guard at LSU in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She then became an assistant coach under head coach Sue Gunter. Late in the 2003-04 season, Gunter fell ill and Chatman took over as interim coach. She guided LSU to its first women's Final Four in 2004, and shortly after that season she became the permanent head coach. Gunter died in August of 2005. Chatman took LSU to Final Fours again in 2005 and 2006.