Boise State athletic staff facing furloughs, salary reductions; football team wants to play
The Boise State athletic department announced furloughs and salary reductions Wednesday for all staff members making more than $40,000 a year — the same day that football coach Bryan Harsin tweeted the program’s desire to have a season.
The move comes as Boise State faces budgetary challenges because of the postponement of the fall football season, a result of COVID-19, and the cuts are expected to save the department about $1.8 million, according to a press release from the university.
In August, Boise State Athletic Director Curt Apsey said the university was facing at least $20 million in losses if there was no football season.
Head coaches, executives and employees making more than $100,000 annually will face salary decreases from 8% to 15%. Furloughs for the remainder of affected staff will range from four weeks to 12 weeks, and some furloughed members of the department will be temporarily reassigned based on university needs.
Harsin is scheduled to make $1.85 million in 2020 and $1.95 million in 2021.
All of the football team’s assistant coaches make more than $100,000 a year. Defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding leads the way at $349,999, while new running backs coach Winston Venable is the lowest-paid assistant, at $125,000.
Head coaches will decide whether assistants, operations directors and strength staff will be furloughed or face a salary reduction.
“As we’ve seen throughout the country, these are decisions that most, if not all, athletic departments are facing as a result of this pandemic,” Apsey said in a statement on Wednesday. “Our staff is what makes Boise State so incredibly special and I feel for everyone who has to make these sacrifices. But in order to sustain a championship-caliber program going forward, these reductions are necessary.”
These aren’t the first cost-cutting measures Boise State has unveiled since the coronavirus pandemic began. In April, the university announced furloughs for all employees — including coaches — who make more than $40,000 a year.
In July, the university disbanded its baseball and swimming programs, trimming about $2.2 million from the budget.
Harsin: ‘Our players and coaches want to play’
After suspending the fall season because of COVID-19, the Big Ten announced Wednesday that it will play football beginning in late October — and that may have a trickle-down effect.
Harsin took to Twitter on Wednesday to make sure his team’s intentions were clear.
“The Big Ten’s announcement today that they’ve identified a safe path for playing football this fall is very encouraging,” he said in a statement. “Our players and coaches want to play. … We look forward to getting back on The Blue.”
Harsin also acknowledged a statement released Wednesday from Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson, ensuring that the public the conference was exploring every option to safely play this fall.
The Mountain West suspended the fall season on Aug. 10, with a possible spring football season in the works.
“Multiple subgroups within the conference are working daily on solutions to the existing challenges in order to facilitate a return to play for Mountain West football and other conference sport programs at the earliest possible opportunity,” Thompson’s statement Wednesday read. “This includes finalizing a plan for frequent, rapid-response testing and continuing to monitor the status of public health directives in our MW states and communities.”
In August, the Big Ten became the first Power Five conference to shut down the fall season. The conference’s reversal comes with an aggressive approach to COVID-19 testing and enhanced cardiac screening.
The Big Ten will require athletes, coaches and staff members who are on the field for practice or games to undergo daily antigen testing. Results must be recorded prior to practice or a game.
For the Mountain West, practice restrictions in California, a travel restriction in Hawaii and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s stance against contact sports during the pandemic are complicating matters.
In California — home to Mountain West programs Fresno State, San Diego State and San Jose State — teams would need governmental approval at the state and local levels to travel for games.
Hawaii is requiring a 14-day quarantine for visitors and returning residents from out of state that would need to be waived for the football program.
The Big Ten’s announcement means just three FBS conferences — the Mountain West, Pac-12 and MAC — aren’t scheduled to play football this fall.
This story was originally published September 16, 2020 at 3:46 PM.
