It was a little less than a year ago when Jennifer Cohen, not yet a month into her tenure as the University of Washington’s athletic director, presented a concerning series of numbers in her first meeting with the school’s Board of Regents.
The athletic department, Cohen told the board last June, was projecting a $14.8 million deficit for the 2016 fiscal year, with a roughly $5.6 million deficit projected for 2017. Her presentation enumerated several reasons for the shortfall. Football ticket sales were down. Student-athlete welfare costs were up. Debt service payments increased on the bonds that funded the renovation of Husky Stadium and Husky Ballpark.