UConn again paying big salaries not to work

If it was a scandal for the University of Connecticut to pay presidential salaries for two people not to be president, what does it mean to pay a significantly higher salary to a football coach not to coach?

It's not a pretty situation, but that's where the state's flagship public university finds itself.

UConn has had a run of negative publicity in high-profile jobs. Earlier this year, university President Thomas Katsouleas surprised nearly everyone by resigning only two years into a five-year contract, which subsequent reporting has pinned to a disagreement with the university's board of trustees over a variety of cost-related issues. The result is Katsouleas will stay on the university payroll at his presidential salary, but with an instructor's workload.

He is joined at that level by another former UConn president, Susan Herbst, who herself continues to teach at a presidential salary.

Now they are joined by Randy Edsall, who until recently led the hapless UConn football team. Edsall, in the face of two embarrassing losses to start the season, this week announced his intention to retire at season's end. That was quickly followed by news that he would step down as coach immediately, while staying on the payroll as a consultant.

It's a pretty good deal if you can swing it. He'll take home his full salary of $1.256 million this year but not have to do much of anything.

In contrast to its high-profile basketball teams, UConn football has never made much of a mark, except as a punchline. Still, there is so much money invested in the system — with millions of dollars at stake down the road — that pulling the plug on the whole enterprise is likely not in the cards, tempting as that might be at times.

The truth is that UConn football is never going to reach basketball-like heights. There are too many factors stacked against it, and the team is starting at the absolute bottom. The problem is that it has been starting over time after time in the past decade.

UConn needs to get its next coaching hire right. Enough with the retreads and the hasbeens. Find a young coach who wants to make a mark, someone willing to take on the challenge of turning around one of the worst teams in America. If that coach leaves in a few years for greener pastures, that's the nature of the game. If that happens, there's a good chance UConn would be in a much better position to find a replacement.

What can't happen is more of the same. The state can't continue to shell out millions of dollars for empty stadiums and blowout losses. The university's athletics budget runs at a major deficit, and a large portion of the difference is made up with student fees. If UConn is going to be charging high tuition, it needs to ensure that money isn't wasted.

UConn football is going to be around for a while. But it doesn't have to be as bad as it's been. It's up to the administration to turn things around.