The sanctions UConn has self-imposed on its men’s basketball program could give coach Dan Hurley the option of a seventh year added to his agreement with UConn.
“That’s certainly something we will discuss,” AD David Benedict said in a 15-minute talk with state reporters before the UConn men’s game vs. Tulane on Saturday. “That was contemplated early on in this process, with this inevitability, so that’s something we’re discussing now.”
Technically, Hurley has not yet signed his contract. He signed a six-year, $18 million memo of understanding, which is binding, last March, but during his interview, the possibility that UConn could draw sanctions for infractions from Kevin Ollie’s tenure was raised. Hurley has the option of adding the extra year.
“It’s [possible], absolutely,” Benedict said. “If it’s something Dan would want to trigger, it’s up to him. Those are the conversations we’re having.”
After UConn’s victory over Tulane, Hurley said he won’t talk about any contractual issues until after the season, but was prepared for the sanctions.
“It’s something we’ve been planning for,” Hurley said. “We’ve been approaching the late signing period and the 2020 recruiting class that way. It’s about moving on. Our future’s bright. … It’s been a tough week. There’s been a lot swirling around us, but it will eventually be behind us, and UConn will get back to doing what UConn does.”
The self-imposed sanctions, which UConn announced Friday, call for the loss of one scholarship next season and reductions in recruiting visits and travel by coaches. The infractions cited in the NCAA’s notice of allegations last October included impermissible workouts with an outside trainer and impermissible contact between former UConn players and recruits. Ollie is charged with providing false and misleading information, which he is disputing.
“Typically the next step after a response is you go and meet with the committee on infractions,” Benedict said. “Probably in next two to three months, I would guess, possibly longer. This is just our attempt to establish penalties we believe are consistent with the infractions. We used our best judgment.”
UConn and Ollie are still tied in a dispute over his dismissal for just cause, with the $10 million left on his contract at stake. Benedict would not comment on the Ollie case or any recent statements from Ollie’s attorneys, who have called the self-imposed penalties “self-serving and disingenuous.”
As to whether the infractions and penalties rise to the level of firing Ollie for just cause, Benedict said, “We made a decision, so you can base your answer on that.”
Benedict addressed other topics on UConn athletics:
The $40M deficit between revenue and expenses
“This is something that’s been talked about since I was interviewed for the job. Two of our revenue sources would be reducing Big East dollars, which will officially be nonexistent next year, and renegotiating our broadcast rights contract with IMG. We were getting paid a lot, and it wasn’t sustainable for them, so that had to come back a little bit. And with the challenges we’ve had on court and on field, ticket sales are not what we’d like them to be.
“… One of the things I’ve come to learn about UConn and the state of Connecticut is there is a strong belief a majority of people share that the university is what it is, not just because of our academic success, but because of our athletic success in combination. Athletics is very important to the overall success and brand of the university.
“… Do we have to look at how we’re structured? Yeah, we do, and we’re in the process of doing that. … [Dropping sports] is a really tough decision. A lot of athletic departments have had to do that. It’s probably one of the most difficult things you can do as an athletic director and athletic department. We’re going to look at all opportunities to deal with this prior to that. Sometimes, there’s inevitabilities.
“One thing that could impact our financial situation, our conference media rights [expected to increase with the next contract]. I do believe that’s going to be a source of opportunity to help us really make a dent in that number.”
Football salaries, bonuses
“When your coaches’ base salaries are where they’re at, in the lower third of the conference, certainly we’re being diligent with our resources, and Randy [Edsall] came back here, not for the money. When you start with a base salary that’s low, you want to incentivize coaches to win. … I would much rather pay a ton of money for a coach that wins all the time than start with a salary that’s really high and not see that level of success. So I have no problem paying out bonuses when we win games, and hopefully we’ll be paying out a lot more in the future.”
Assessing Hurley’s first season
“I’m very happy with the effort that coach Hurley and his entire staff is making to coach up this group of kids, not just from a standpoint of basketball but in all the other aspects of what they’re responsible for. I’m very pleased with their effort.”
Dom Amore can be reached at damore@courant.com.