Kansas basketball coach Bill Self and football coach Les Miles joined the flood of major college coaches taking pay cuts amid the COVID-19 crisis on Monday when Kansas announced its top two coaches and Athletic Director Jeff Long will take 10% salary reduction for the next six months.
The top earners in the Kansas athletic department are the latest in a line of well-known coaches at major conference schools to accept salary reductions amid the financial uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, joining Syracuse and Colorado among the most recent schools to take the step.
"KU has been home to us for 17 years, and been very good to our family," Self said in a statement. "During our tenure we've had our ups and downs, but these turbulent times are unprecedented and the immediate future is unknown. I, like others, will be returning 10 percent of my salary to help bridge the financial gap in our athletic department. These times are serious, but temporary, and it's everyone's hope that we can return to a safe and prosperous time soon. I have no doubt that Allen Fieldhouse is going to be the loudest it's ever been when we all get together again, and I can't wait. Let's all stay positive. Rock Chalk."
Combined, the salary reductions of the three at Kansas are expected to save "nearly $500,000" over the next six months, according to the university statement.
Long left open the possibility for more salary cuts as he offered his support for the pay cut in Monday's announcement.
"We continue to evaluate what our future needs are to determine whether there will be additional salary cuts among Kansas Athletics staff for fiscal year 2021," Long said.
