Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley will take a 10% cut in pay

Go ahead and add the Oklahoma football coach as taking one for the team. Or school, as the case may be.

Wednesday, Oklahoma announced that, with the start of the 2020-21 fiscal year, the athletic department is initiating cost-cutting measures that will help slash “approximately $13.7 million in controllable operating expenses.” Included in that is a 10% salary reduction for any university employee earning a salary of $1 million or more per year. Oklahoma head football coach Lincoln Riley, of course, is part of that group.

Last year, Riley was paid nearly $6.4 million, a figure that was second in the Big 12 and ninth nationally. With a 10% reduction, Riley would forego in the neighborhood of $640,000.

From the school’s release:

All of us understand that a number of circumstances will unfold in the weeks ahead,” he said. “Our staff continues to monitor our expense and income projections closely and we’ll take other actions, as necessary.”

Castiglione added that he was pleased that the department was able to balance its budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year.

“It’s a testament to our staff and our practices that we were able to balance our budget for fiscal year 2020,” Castiglione said. “We have always benefited from excellent teamwork in our department, but our staff has come together as never before. I am very proud of our people.

Below is a partial list of FBS programs that have initiated various cost-cutting measures for athletic department personnel, including coaches:

• Arizona (HERE).
• Boise State (HERE).
• Colorado (HERE).
• Illinois (HERE).
• Iowa (HERE)
• Iowa State (HERE).
• Kansas (HERE).
• Kansas State (HERE)
• Louisville (HERE).
• Michigan (HERE)
• Minnesota (HERE).
• Missouri (HERE).
• Northern Illinois (HERE).
• Oregon (HERE and HERE).
• Rutgers (HERE).
• South Carolina (HERE).
• Syracuse (HERE).
• USC (HERE).
• UTSA (HERE).
• Wake Forest (HERE).
• Washington State (HERE).
• Western Kentucky (HERE).
• Western Michigan (HERE).
• West Virginia (HERE).
• Wyoming (HERE).

Additionally, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, who reportedly made north of $5 million a year ago, is taking a 20% pay cut. Scott’s Big 12 counterpart, Bob Bowlsby, announced pay cuts for himself and the conference’s staff.