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Geno Auriemma willing to sacrifice salary for education budget

By Arielle Chambers

STORRS, CONNECTICUT- FEBRUARY 13: Head coach Geno Auriemma of the Connecticut Huskies after his sides one hundredth consecutive win during the UConn Huskies Vs South Carolina Gamecocks NCAA Women's Basketball game at Gampel Pavilion, on February 13th, 2017 in Storrs, Connecticut. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
STORRS, CONNECTICUT- FEBRUARY 13: Head coach Geno Auriemma of the Connecticut Huskies after his sides one hundredth consecutive win during the UConn Huskies Vs South Carolina Gamecocks NCAA Women's Basketball game at Gampel Pavilion, on February 13th, 2017 in Storrs, Connecticut. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images) /
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Geno Auriemma: Hall-of-Fame inductee, University of Connecticut head coach, former USA Basketball Women’s head coach and activist. He reigns supreme in everything women’s basketball, but also has a fair share in social and political activism.

Today, Auriemma exercised sound morality, expressing to the Hartford Courant his willingness to forgo his UConn coaching salary next year.

According to usatoday.com, Auriemma signed a “five-year agreement that is scheduled to pay him at least $13 million,” in October 2016; this would make his 2017-2018 salary about $2.4 million.

Large cuts to the UConn budget are being negotiated, but Connecticut’s state budget is still nonexistent, well into the fiscal year (espn.com).  With the monetary investment in education diminishing, Auriemma is taking note.

“Not unlike a lot of states, Connecticut is facing real issues of how to pay its obligations. Some people are going to get hurt…Everybody is going to have to suffer a little bit,” Auriemma stressed to the Hartford Courant.

Overly conscious of his grandchildren’s ability (or inability) to attend an affordable state university, Auriemma offered to sacrifice his salary.  Upon criticism of salaries distributed within the university, Auriemma has pitched the idea of essentially working for free.  “I’ll tell you what. I’ll work for free next year. I’ll give up what the state pays me, what taxpayers are paying me…I can afford it. I want to be proud of our town’s education system.”

Auriemma is prioritizing here and “understand[ing] what the realities are.” The upcoming season is fast approaching and Coach Auriemma is already making a impact.

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