Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano said today that he’s focused on the upcoming football season and not on recent reports about several secret aspects of his contract.
“I don’t worry about that stuff. What’s important to me is my family and my football team. Thank God both of those groups are doing well,” Schiano told reporters, including myself, after a press conference announcing a new partnership between the Big East Conference and SNY.
The Star-Ledger reported this week that Rutgers had agreed to pay Schiano an additional $250,000 a year in compensation through a vendor (Nelligan Sports), and had an arrangement with the coach enabling him to walk away from his contract if the Rutgers Stadium expansion project is not completed by 2009.
The Ledger was the first to report these parts of the contract, and the news has since triggered interest from State Senator Loretta Weinberg.
“I’m not a judge of whether this guy is getting too much,’’ Weinberg told The Record. “I do know that when you attempt a “deal” like this, it’s an attempt to hide something at a public university. If you’re embarrassed about what you are doing, you shouldn’t be doing it.”
Schiano said he wasn’t worried about the expansion project or Rutgers’ overall financial situation.
“Collectively the university has a vision that I’m part of,” Schiano said, deferring such matters to Rutgers AD Bob Mulcahy.
“Our athletic director has addressed that and he probably will continue to address that. My focus really is the 2008 season,” Schiano said.
Mulcahy stood nearby and later refused to answer questions from a Ledger reporter, saying that he would issue a statement later today.
Rutgers opens the season against Fresno State on Sept. 1 on ESPN. Check out Ted Berg’s interview with Schiano from today at SNY.tv and stay tuned for more from the head ball coach on this year’s team later on…
(Photo courtesy Star-Ledger)
