Colorado AD Rick George spends his days preparing for what-if scenarios

Rick George’s schedule looks a lot different these days. He’s working from home like everyone else, but with the cancellation of collegiate sports, the work the University of Colorado’s athletic director is doing vastly differs from five weeks ago.

Almost everything George is doing now is preparing for different hypothetical scenarios. What if fall sports return but with no fans? What if things remain suspended until the next calendar year? He knows that whatever happens, he and his department need to be prepared.

Through this, George has become a self-proclaimed Zoom wizard, having various council meetings and staff meetings over the internet multiple times a week.

George has also been holding biweekly conference calls with members of the media to address updates being made within the program. During Thursday’s call, George touched on different legislation that was passed in the last two weeks and the impact COVID-19 is having on finances.

Passed legislation

Last week, George and others on the school’s athletic council approved allowing coaches and student-athletes to meet virtually for eight hours per week, compared to the four hours previously permitted. These virtual meetings are meant for chalk talks and/or film sessions, but there will be no practices or training sessions held during this time.

One program that will be feeling this restriction more than others is CU’s football team, which is still in the process of integrating a new coaching staff. Karl Dorrell was hired Feb. 23, and the Buffs didn’t get a chance to have even one spring football practice.

The council also agreed to follow the NCAA’s decision to allow student-athletes who participate in spring sports to have an additional year of eligibility.

“Our coaches are in the process of having those conversations with their athletes right now,” George said. “I made that decision a few days ago in consultation with our chancellor. We will support our spring sport student-athletes.”

While there is support for those athletes, it will be a challenge for coaches to manage the number of athletes on each roster and the amount of money given out for scholarships.

Incoming freshmen who have already signed with CU will have no problem with their scholarships. The issues come in the next season, as what seniors decide to do now will have an impact on the amount of money available for future prospective student-athletes.

There will be another council meeting held next week to discuss the Colorado bill that was signed by Gov. Jared Polis last month that will allow student-athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness. George says this meeting will be more educational than anything else.

Impact on revenue

Perhaps the biggest question on the minds of those involved in college athletics, or really any sport, is the financial impact COVID-19 will have on their programs and organizations. Just this week, the University of Cinncinati cut its men’s soccer program due to financial blows.

“We’re looking at a lot of different scenarios, and eliminating sports is not at the top of our list,” George said. “Right now, we don’t have a sport that we would cut. We are planning for a variety of different scenarios based on what’s ahead of us, and no one can predict that. So we are going through that thoughtfully … but I can tell you that eliminating a sport is way, way, way down the list.”

George says that despite sports being put on pause, he is confident he and his department will finish this quarter — which ends June 1 — on track with the budget.

There have already been financial hits taken through the cancellation of spring sports and the men’s basketball NCAA Tournament, and more can be expected if fans are not allowed to attend football games in the fall. But George says there are other ways CU is cushioning the monetary loss.

One way is by not having to pay for team travel, recruitment travel and things that need to be paid for when games are being played.

George has not asked any coaches to take a pay cut; however, he also said that at this point, everything is on the table. But he made one thing clear.

“I would absolutely be the first one to take a pay cut,” George said.

While no coach has been asked to reduce their salary, men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle has turned down the bonus that was offered to him last week.

“I did offer Tad the bonus, based on the principle that we felt he earned it, but Tad declined it,” George said. “He preferred that we use it in other areas that would help us during this crisis. It speaks to who Tad is.”

(Photo of Alex Fontenot during CU’s game at Arizona State last September: Kevin Abele / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)