University of Minnesota head basketball coach Richard Pitino spent twice as much on private jet travel as his contract allows since he was hired by the school.
According to an internal audit obtained by the Star Tribune, Pitino topped $100,000 and $150,000 in jet travel in 2014 and 2015 respectively, far exceeding the annual $50,000 budget for recruiting trips and "university business" as stipulated in his contract. The audit found Pitino to have spent $325,000 in three years as of February, compared to a budgeted $150,000 for that time.
"Contract limitations are not appropriately monitored," the report concluded.
The report comes as the school's board of regents prepares for a meeting to discuss increased oversight of the Athletics Department.
In addition to the jet usage, both men's and women's basketball programs spent more than allowed on hotels, private cars, birthday or holiday parties, meals and valet parking. The report also cited "unreasonable" spending by Pitino involving "multiple" rental cars returned without full gas tanks and instances of parking at the airport even though the team had rented a bus.
The school is on the verge of hiring a permanent athletic director, nine months after former AD Norwood Teague resigned over allegations of sexual harassment.
"We have policies and procedures in place, and in some cases those policies or procedures have become sloppy," regents chair Dean Johnson said. "Whoever the next athletic director is, that person needs to very much pay attention to the revenue from whatever source into athletics, how that revenue is expended according to policy and good accounting methods. A good athletic director, as a CFO, is going to watch those issues very carefully before checks are issued. That is very much the desire of the Board of Regents and President Kaler."
