'Hard To Prepare For A Scenario You Don't Know': CU Athletic Director Rick George On College Football Options
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- While the spectre of no college football season this fall has many athletic directors across the country preparing for worst case scenarios, University of Colorado A.D. Rick George is in no rush to make any rash decisions.
Whether you're taking about cutting sports or taking pay cuts, George says CU is in a position to be patient, plan and assess.
"Everything is on the table right now and we need to be methodical in our approach," said George. "We feel good about our budget and should be in the black for this fiscal year."
That's good news but all university's budgets will take a massive hit if the college football season is pushed back or cancelled altogether.
"Right now we're focusing on what's more likely and I can't tell you what that is right now," George said. "At the end of May we might be more likely to determine what is more likely but it's hard to prepare for a scenario you don't know. Could the season be pushed back? That's a scenario. Could the season start on time? That's also a scenario."
Some colleges like Old Dominion and Cincinnati have recently cut sports due to the revenue lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. A decision like that doesn't seem imminent in Boulder.
"Eliminating a sport is not at the top of my list," said George. "Nobody can predict what's ahead but eliminating a sport is way, way, way down on the list."
Coaches and administrators across the country are already taking paycuts. While that hasn't happened at CU, George knows it's a realistic possibility.
"I absolutely would be the first one to take a pay cut." said George.
Basketball coach Tad Boyle was due a bonus this past season for making the NCAA basketball tournament. George went ahead and offered Boyle his bonus saying the coach deserved it. Boyle declined the extra money saying it was better used somewhere else during this current crisis.
While the future at CU and colleges across the country is not clear, one thing is: Nothing will be the same. So when the picture of what college athletics will look like rounds into form, George says implementing a plan will be crucial.
"There's been other significant events in our history and we know the before and after are different," he said. "We anticipate the after here is going to be different, too. You've got to be quick to adapt and I think having all these different discussions with a variety of leaders around the country are helpful in being ready for whatever that is."
