PJ Fleck was set to make $4.6 million in 2020. This much we know: That will not be the case. How much the Minnesota head coach will sacrifice remains to be seen.
Fleck held a conference call with reporters on Thursday that left both the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press (see below tweet) with the impression he, along with the head coaches of the Gophers’ men’s and women’s basketball teams, would be furloughed. The Star-Tribune reported Fleck would sit out one week between now and June 30, and one week’s pay would equal a roughly $88,000 pay cut.
News: #Gophers football coach PJ Fleck confirms he is included in 200 senior leaders at the University Minnesota talking a week furlough through fiscal year ending June 30 to help expected revenue shortages during #coronavirus pandemic.
— Andy Greder (@andygreder) April 23, 2020
However, Minnesota spokesman Paul Rovnak reached out to CFT to state Fleck will not be furloughed, but he will take a voluntary pay cut. The size of that cut was not known at press time.
Either way, Fleck is part of a growing list of college coaches to sacrifice pay as their employer looks to plug holes in its budget.
Heading into his fourth season at Minnesota, Fleck carries a 23-15 record. He led the Gophers to an 11-2 season in 2019, capped by a victory over Auburn in the Outback Bowl and the program’s first AP Top 10 finish since 1962.