Washington
Pac-12 finances: Washington attempts to restructure stadium debt as Big Ten move looms
Washington’s athletic department broke the $150 million mark in revenue last year for the first time in school history and reported an operating surplus, according to financial documents reviewed by the Hotline.
But the most significant money matter on Montlake wasn’t included in an 81-page report to the NCAA and is months away from unfolding … if it materializes at all.
The school is “evaluating options” for refinancing the debt on the Husky Stadium renovation, a move that potentially could free up valuable cash for operations as the Huskies transition into the Big Ten.
Washington’s $280 million renovation of Husky Stadium in the early 2010s relied heavily on debt provided by the university’s internal lending program (ILP) over a 30-year period.
The athletic department paid $12.3 million in debt service in the 2022 fiscal year, per the financial report submitted to the NCAA.
But that figure dropped by approximately $3 million in 2023 after Washington’s board of regents approved a temporary restructuring plan.
The new approach allows the Huskies to make interest-only payments through the 2025 fiscal year, according to the regents:
“Restructure ILP debt service so that fiscal years 2023 – 2025 are $3.1 million lower per year, leaving (athletics) to pay interest only during these years. The principal amounts will be amortized over the life of the loans.”
The interest-only window ends in the summer of 2025, but the pressure on Washington’s budget will not.
The Huskies begin play in the Big Ten later this year after agreeing to enter the conference, along with Oregon, at a steep discount.
The schools will receive half-shares of the Big Ten’s annual media rights deal with Fox, CBS and NBC.
Over the course of the six-year contract term, that discount will result in the Pacific Northwest powers receiving about $180 million less than their peers in the Big Ten, including USC and UCLA, which were granted full shares when they agreed to join the conference in 2022.
Every dollar UW saves on debt service could help offset the revenue disparity.
As a result, president Ana Mari Cauce’s office and the athletic department have been “evaluating options for debt service in both the near and long term as a part of (the) annual budget development,” per a statement issued to the Hotline by Cauce’s office.
Any restructuring of the debt beyond 2025, when the interest-free window expires, must be approved by the regents. UW plans to make its case at the June meeting “in conjunction with board budget approvals.”
The savings from a restructured payment plan are not publicly known. But if, for example, the new rate lowered UW’s annual debt service by the same amount as the temporary shift to interest-only payments ($3.1 million annually) — and if that process played out for the entirety of the Big Ten’s media rights deal — the Huskies would save about $19 million.
If funneled to operations, that would cover the salary for a top-tier offensive or defensive coordinator over the entire timeframe.
Other news and notes from UW’s financial report to the NCAA, which was submitted earlier this year:
— The Huskies were one of five schools in the Pac-12 that reported an operating surplus in the 2023 fiscal year, along with Oregon, Cal, Arizona and Utah.
UW booked $151.6 million in revenue against $150 million in expenses.
— However, the schools include financial support from campus as revenue, in accordance with NCAA reporting regulations.
Washington’s campus support, which took the form of student fees allocated to athletics and direct transfers from the university, totaled $10.3 million last year — the fourth-lowest amount in the conference.
Oregon received no direct help from campus while UCLA received $2.1 million in support and Washington State received $6.8 million.
The total amount of campus support for the 11 schools was $150.5 million, according to an analysis by the Hotline. (USC’s budget was not available.)
— When campus support was removed from their revenue total, the Huskies showed an $8.7 million operating loss.
Only Oregon, which generated a $3.8 million surplus, fared better.
Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Stanford and UCLA all produced shortfalls in excess of $30 million when campus support was removed from the revenue total.
— The Huskies declined to provide budget projections for the 2024 fiscal year, citing the changes in athletic directors and head coaches, the Pac-12’s negotiated settlement with the outgoing schools and the university’s new financial accounting system.
The combination has “created uncertainty in FY24 revenue/expenses that we are still actively reconciling.”
*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716
*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline
*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.
An 18-year-old who was shot and wounded in Northwest D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood on Thursday afternoon has died, authorities say.
Brady Flowers Jr., of Southwest, was the victim, police said in an update Saturday.
Flowers was found shot in the 4500 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW, behind the CVS store. Jackson-Reed High School and American University are nearby.
Flowers was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and pronounced dead a day later, police said.
Police said 10-15 teens were seen running after the gunshots.
An investigation is underway. Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact police.
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Washington
Governor Moore Continues “Delivering for Maryland” Tour in Washington County, Highlighting Transportation Infrastructure, Economic Development, and Early Childhood Education
Updated:
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today continued his statewide “Delivering for Maryland” tour with a series of engagements in Washington County, highlighting vital investments in local transportation infrastructure, manufacturing job growth, and early childhood education. The governor emphasized state contributions to modernize the Hagerstown Regional Airport, toured the state-of-the-art Hitachi Rail facility, and celebrated the opening of a new child care center in the South End of Hagerstown funded by the administration’s historic ENOUGH Initiative.
“From investing $1.5 million to update Hagerstown Regional Airport’s aging control tower to supporting 1,300 jobs at Hitachi Rail, the Moore-Miller administration is delivering for Hagerstown, Washington County, and Western Maryland,” said Gov. Moore. “Through our administration’s ENOUGH Initiative partnerships and investments, we’ve tripled child care capacity in the South End of Hagerstown — because no parents should be forced to pick between staying in the workforce or securing quality care for their kids.”
The governor began the day at the Hagerstown Regional Airport, touring the Air Traffic Control Tower and airport grounds. During the visit, Governor Moore highlighted the State’s $1.5 million Fiscal Year 2027 investment to complete the design for a critical replacement of the airport’s aging air traffic control facility. As a primary airport in the Maryland Aviation System Plan, the Hagerstown Regional Airport is a vital economic engine for Washington County, supporting more than 1,800 jobs and generating over $140 million in local business revenue.
Following the airport tour, Governor Moore visited the Hitachi Rail STS facility alongside Congresswoman April McClain Delaney, Senator Mike McKay, Senator Paul Corderman and state transportation leaders. The governor toured the factory floor and rode a test train to observe the manufacturing process. Opened in September 2025 with the support of a $1.6 million state conditional loan, the 307,000-square-foot, carbon-neutral facility is a $100 million capital investment by Hitachi. The factory supports 1,300 jobs — including 460 newly created jobs — and is actively manufacturing railcars for both the Maryland Transit Administration and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
“Hitachi Rail has built a cutting-edge model for advanced manufacturing here in Western Maryland which is focused on delivering clean, safe, efficient regional transportation across our state and the rest of the country,” said Congresswoman April McClain Delaney. “This facility is powered by Maryland’s second-to-none workforce and world-class innovation environment. I’m proud to work with Governor Moore and our public, private, and philanthropic partners to drive global investment that supports jobs and economic growth along our I-270 Tech Corridor.”
Governor Moore concluded the day at the Children’s Learning and Empowerment Center in the South End of Hagerstown, where he met with parents, children, and community leaders. During the visit, the Governor highlighted the administration’s ENOUGH Initiative, which provided critical support for the center’s opening. The new facility is a major win for the community, tripling local childcare capacity with 24 new slots and generating six new early childhood education jobs.
The Children’s Learning and Empowerment Center’s opening was accelerated by a $100,000 investment from San Mar Family & Community Services, the ENOUGH grantee in Hagerstown. ENOUGH grant funding was also supplemented by a $100,000 philanthropic contribution from the Bainum Family Foundation — a member of the ENOUGH Alliance — to complete necessary facility upgrades. The center’s completion underscores the strength of the ENOUGH Initiative’s public-private partnerships to deliver on community priorities and work towards ending child poverty.
Governor Moore’s visit to Washington County follows the third stop of his “Delivering for Maryland” tour in Montgomery County, where he marked a historic milestone by installing the final segment of rail for the Purple Line. This installation completes the 16.2-mile light rail corridor connecting Bethesda and New Carrollton, with passenger service expected to begin in late 2027. The governor also visited Max’s Best Ice Cream in Bethesda, a local business dedicated to creating meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the Best Buddies Jobs program.
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A man charged with attacking the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is seeking to disqualify top justice department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, creating a potential conflict of interest.
The acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, and US attorney Jeanine Pirro were attending the 25 April event at the Washington Hilton hotel when Cole Tomas Allen allegedly ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer.
In a court filing late on Thursday, Allen’s attorneys argued that it created at least the appearance of a conflict of interest for Blanche and Pirro to be making any prosecutorial decisions in the case.
“As this case proceeds closer to trial, the country and the world will continue to wonder – how can the American justice system permit a victim to prosecute a criminal defendant in a case involving them?” defense attorneys Eugene Ohm and Tezira Abe wrote.
Ohm and Abe, who are assistant federal public defenders, suggested that the appointment of a special prosecutor might be warranted. They urged US district judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump nominee assigned to Allen’s case, to disqualify Pirro, Blanche and possibly other justice department officials from direct involvement in the investigation and prosecution.
“Both heard gunshots, which presumably forced them to duck below the tables with the rest of the occupants. They were quickly evacuated. Shortly thereafter, they learned that law enforcement believed the target was certain administration officials,” Ohm and Abe wrote.
Pirro said her office would respond to the defense lawyers’ arguments in its own court filing.
“We will not tolerate people who come to the District of Columbia to engage in antidemocratic acts of political violence; and we will prosecute all such acts to the fullest extent of the law,” Pirro said in a statement.
Allen is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday on further charges in an indictment handed up Tuesday by a grand jury in Washington.
The charges include attempting to assassinate Donald Trump, who is a longtime friend of Pirro. Blanche served as a personal attorney for Trump before joining the justice department last year. Blanche, through a spokesperson, referred a request for comment to Pirro’s office. Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is also charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two additional firearms counts.
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