Mark Coyle and Gophers Top-Paid Coaches Take Another Pay-Cut Amid Pandemic

A new fiscal year is about to start for the University of Minnesota and the athletic department is cutting their own pay, in an effort to recoup some of the lost revenue the University is dealing with, from coronavirus fallout.

Per a release from the athletic department, Mark Coyle and his 5 highest-paid University of Minnesota coaches will take 10% pay cuts for the first six months of the next fiscal year (which begins in July). The coaches taking cuts are:

• P.J. Fleck (football)
• Richard Pitino (men’s basketball)
• Lindsay Whalen (women’s basketball)
• Bob Motzko (men’s hockey)
• Hugh McCutcheon (volleyball).

“I want to thank Lindsay, P.J., Richard, Hugh and Bob for taking a voluntary reduction in pay. This is the second voluntary reduction for all of us since April, and I appreciate their dedication to Minnesota and willingness to help in a time of financial uncertainty.”

Mark Coyle – University of Minnesota Athletic Director

As Coyle mentions in his statement, this is the second time these coaches and staff have taken voluntary cuts, in an effort to recoup these losses. 200 administrative members took a week unpaid in April, to save 1,000,000 for the university.

As nice of a gesture as this is, it is but a small band-aid over a wound that is life-threatening. The only thing that will stop the bleeding is getting kids back in classrooms, fans back in football stadiums, and profitable college sports back on TV. 

We’ll see when any/all of that happens.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan