The Times Free Press spoke with University of Tennessee at Chattanooga vice chancellor and athletic director Mark Wharton concerning the recent NCAA eligibility ruling, the looming financial hit mid-major athletic departments are bracing for and his thoughts on when sports might regain some sense of normalcy in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
Q: You guys met Wednesday to discuss the NCAA eligibility ruling. Is there any news or update on that front?
Wharton: “We sent out a survey to all our spring sports athletes to get information back as to what their intent is, and we’ve given them seven days to decide. My personal deadline is April 16th, so we need to know for the purposes of scheduling classes. We are just waiting on those results, and then we will move forward.”
Q: How tough are the financial decisions you guys are being forced to make?
Wharton: “They are extremely tough. Through June 30th we’ll be OK, but going into next year is what we can’t predict. We are trying to make some decisions where we have to look at worst-case scenarios. I’m not at all looking at (cutting) people. I’ve been through (the recession of) 2008 and other things, so I know people need jobs and opportunities to have health care.”
Q: What are some possible financial solutions for UTC athletics?
Wharton: “We’re looking at sports that don’t have their schedules finalized. Those sports are mandated to look at schools within 150 miles to play, and if you play them, especially in the afternoon, you bus up and bus back after the game. That’s not traditional in most sports right now, but at the end of the day it’s a way to have the student still be able to experience college athletics and not change much of it.”
Q: How concerned are you about the fall and what would it mean for you guys if football was greatly affected?
Wharton: “My focus 100% is that I keep talking to our leadership staff because we are going to be back late June – and that’s just my feeling, not necessarily the university’s – and get these guys in shape and move forward. I don’t want to try to think of scenarios where football isn’t played. I feel it’s possible to still have a full season, so that’s where we want to be prepared.”
Q: There are several doom-and-gloom stories about college athletics in the national media discussing how they will never be the same after the pandemic passes. What’s the path to making sure that doesn’t happen, or is it inevitable?
Wharton: “I think we will be back to normal. What the general fan sees as far as game day – tailgating, the atmosphere, the competition – people want that. After 9/11 when they started playing games, the nation was encouraged because it showed we were digging out of it. For college administrators, we have to find ways to make sure we can get back to normal.”
Q: What is the status of the university’s athletic building project?
Wharton: “Right now it’s on go. A lot of universities around the country have stopped their capital projects. We met recently with (chancellor) Steve Angle and (executive vice chancellor) Rich Brown and others, and we feel at this moment we are on go. We have a meeting in a couple of weeks where we will talk through it. Right now we’re still working with the architects and builders (about) what it’s going to look like and the costs. We anticipate still breaking ground in October. There is a possibility, if doom and gloom happens, we might have to delay it, but right now we feel very positive. This is a six- or seven-year dream, so at the very worst we need to find a way to get the shovel in the ground.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.