Connecticut is still locked in a state budget battle, and UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma has offered to do his part in response to folks criticizing high salaries at the university. Auriemma, who’s won nearly 1,000 games and 11 national titles, is willing to work for free this season.
From the Hartford Courant:
“I do not want to come across as someone who doesn’t understand what the realities are,” Auriemma said. “Not unlike a lot of states, Connecticut is facing real issues of how to pay its obligations. Some people are going to get hurt. I don’t know if anyone is going to get helped. This is like a family issue. Everybody is going to have to suffer a little bit.”
[..]
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll work for free next year. I’ll give up what the state pays me, what the taxpayers are paying me, but guess what? I pay my taxes and I don’t care how much money it costs for me to have good schools where I live in Manchester. My [adult] kids don’t go to school there. I can afford it. I want to be proud of our town’s education system. Why is it that older people turn their back on education when somebody paid for their kids when they were in school? We’ve lost sight of what we have to do for other people.”
Last October, Auriemma signed a new five-year deal that will pay him at least $13 million. He’s slated to make more than $2 million this season. Unsurprisingly, he’s strongly supported UConn throughout the budget battle, providing the voiceover for a Twitter video promoting the school.
The success of #UConn is something everyone in the state of Connecticut should be proud of. #SaveUConn pic.twitter.com/tJs7xHJYSt
— UConn (@UConn) September 19, 2017
A recent proposal included $300 million in cuts to UConn. Gov. Daniel Malloy has already promised to veto that, but UConn president Susan Herbst has mentioned that athletic programs could get cut under a new budget.
