UNC's Williams not looking for pay cut, but understands economic issues
UNC's Roy Williams on Feb. 27
Feb 27, 2009
Tags: ACC
Don’t expect Roy Williams to take a pay cut any time soon. But the North Carolina coach has felt the effects of a bad economy.
When a reporter asked Williams if he could consider a reduction in his salary to help the UNC system, Williams took a diplomatic tone.
“If you say ‘yeah,’ then somebody’s going to call today and say, ‘OK, give it all back.’” Williams said. “If you say ‘no,’ you come across as being insensitive.”
Williams’ comments come in the aftermath of Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun’s angry response to a similar question.
“At this moment, I’m the most sensitive person in this room to the state of our nation’s economy,” Williams said, referring to his son, Scott, who recently lost his job as a bond trader with Wachovia Securities. “I told him, ‘Son, people aren’t hiring, they’re letting people go.’”
But Williams stops well short of agreeing to a voluntary pay cut.
“I am not paid by state funds, and we have had success,” he said. “We have made a lot of money in men’s basketball. If we start losing games and losing money, they’re not going to ask me to give any of the money back. They’re going to fire me. And that’s something else that I understand.”
