WVU men's basketball coach Bob Huggins will take a 10% salary cut starting July 1GETTY IMAGES
West Virginia AD Shane Lyons is instituting several measures -- including pay cuts, furloughs and layoffs -- that "should save" the athletic department around $3M in salary costs, according to Derek Redd of the CHARLESTON GAZETTE-MAIL. The WVU athletic department "will furlough 65 employees" from May 24-July 26, and some "will not return." Lyons said that six job openings in the department "will not be filled and there is a freeze on future hirings." Lyons sindicated that the layoffs "will come from the department's roster of administrators and staff, not from its coaching pool." Remaining employees "will take salary cuts." Lyons, football coach Neal Brown, men's basketball coach Bob Huggins, women's basketball coach Mike Carey and baseball coach Randy Mazey "each will take a 10% salary cut starting July 1." Those in the department making $100,000 or more "will take a 5% cut, while those making under $100,000 will take a 2.5% cut." Lyons is "looking at other areas to make up" the rest of his department's $5M coronavirus shortfall. One avenue he mentioned was "non-conference scheduling for the university's Olympic sports" (CHARLESTON GAZETTE-MAIL, 5/9). Lyons indicated that ongoing construction projects involving Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium and WVU Coliseum "won't be affected" by the cost-saving measures because they were "earmarked gifts." He added that selling naming rights to the Coliseum and other venues "could provide a financial boost" (TRIBLIVE.com, 5/8).
