Monday Morning Sports Report

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers has already lined up the first job of his post-playing career. Rivers was introduced Friday as the head coach-in-waiting at St. Michael Catholic High School in a news conference on campus. The 16-year veteran of the Los Angeles Chargers signed a one-year deal, with $25 million guaranteed, in March. Rivers didn’t offer a timetable on when he’d actually be available for the Fairhope school. Athletic director Paul Knapstein will serve as St. Michael’s interim head coach until Rivers arrives.

 

NCAA President Mark Emmert says the coronavirus is making it unlikely all schools will be ready to begin competing in college sports at the same time. Emmert says the goal is for every team to have an equal amount of preparation time before its season starts, but there could be some competitive inequities caused by schools having varied timelines for re-opening campuses. Emmert appeared with Dr. Brian Hainline, the NCAA’s chief medical officer, in an interview shown on the NCAA’s official Twitter account. Emmert also said there can be no college athletes competing at school if students are not on campus.

 

The end of this virus-disrupted school year has produced a predictably bleak financial outlook for major college sports. Budget projections are landing in the red. West Virginia has announced a $5 million projected shortfall for the fiscal year ending June 30. The athletic director will take a 10% salary reduction for the next budget cycle along with other high earners in the department. Minnesota has forecast a $4 million deficit for the current fiscal period. The month before the pandemic hit, a $1 million surplus was projected. Now, the school says all cost-savings measures are on the table.