Louisville athletics: set to cut budget, furlough staff due to coronavirus pandemic

Vince Tyra, Louisville’s athletic director, announced that the university’s athletic department is set to face some harsh realities brought on from the coronavirus pandemic, including a 15 percent budget cut for sports. The staff furlough will be officially announced on Wednesday.

In a video teleconference on Monday, Tyra, however, didn’t specify details to the University of Louisville Athletic Association (ULAA) board.

These are obviously difficult times for college athletics across the country; add it to the list of industries that have been ravaged due to COVID-19. The loss of NCAA Tournament revenue was a serious blow.

The threat of an altered — or possibly cancelled — football season 2020 would have even greater harm, though. Tyra made note that a cancelled 2020 football season would cost Louisville roughly 45 percent of its athletics budget.

Louisville athletics already announced 10 percent pay cuts for head coaches and senior personnel earlier in April. According to Tyra, his department plans to trim $15 million from the 2020-21 athletics budget, which will be submitted this week.