Eight members of Tennessee’s football coaching staff reportedly refused to accept pay cuts proposed by the school’s athletic department, due to ongoing financial concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic. The report comes from Blake Toppmeyer of the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Several coaches from around college football — head coaches and other staff members — have willingly accepted pay cuts and taken voluntary salary reductions due to tight financial situations. The pandemic has forced athletic departments across the country to rethink their budgets due to losses in revenue.

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But at Tennessee, eight staffers put a halt to the slash in their paycheck. Those eight individuals were:

  • Jim Cheney, offensive coordinator
  • Derrick Ansley, defensive coordinator
  • Will Friend, offensive line coach
  • Chris Weinke, quarterbacks coach
  • Brian Niedermeyer, inside linebackers coach
  • Shelton Felton, outside linebackers coach
  • Joe Osovet, tight ends coach
  • A.J. Artis, strength and conditioning coach

Only two assistants agreed to accept pay cuts: wide receivers coach Tee Martin and running backs coach Jay Graham.

The eight individuals from the football staff were the only individuals within Tennessee’s athletic department to refuse the pay cuts, per the report from the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Tennessee is anticipating a $40 million loss in revenue.