Budget, Apology, Game Plan Academy

Ferd Lewis writes that the UH athletic department's projected budget for the 2008-09 year is a record $29.6 million. With the closest road game being approximately 2500 miles away, a great concern now and in the future are the soaring fuel costs.

Donovan said airline costs have more than doubled for some destinations, forcing UH to significantly reduce charter flights.

Writing about the balancing of last year's budget, Ferd has some sobering points.

Without the windfall from a 12-1 season, UH would have incurred some serious debt. As if the $4.4 million accumulated net deficit over the previous five years wasn't sobering enough.

Which brings up the question of how an athletic program that took 11-3 and 12-1 football seasons to the bank the past two years could be struggling that much financially? How, indeed, do you attract a 23-year high in average home football attendance (41,325) and not be able, at the very least, to balance your books without a BCS windfall?

Worse yet, if the bottom line is that tight in a once-in-a-lifetime season, what happens if, heaven forbid, you suffer a down year?

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UH has apologized to the Honolulu Advertiser.

The University of Hawai'i has issued an apology, promised improved openness, and will pay The Honolulu Advertiser's attorney fees in return for the newspaper dropping its six-week-old lawsuit, it was announced yesterday.

The Advertiser filed suit May 23 in circuit court in an effort to get the university to disclose a complete list of the people who traveled to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans in conjunction with UH and the expenses for the trip.

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Michael Tsai writes about the Game Plan Football Academy.

The clinic, which ends today, was founded by Kamehameha Schools graduate and Brigham Young-Hawai'i assistant dean Asai Gilman, himself a collegiate football player at Southern Utah, to provide both intensive football instruction from NCAA Division I, II and III coaches and a crash course in the recruiting process, the NCAA Academic Clearinghouse, scholarships, school selection and other off-field essentials.

Greg McMackin, Cal Lee, Rocky Savaiiagaea, Blaze Soares, Brashton Satele, Tuika Tufaga and Keith Ah Soon were among the coaches, counselors and mentors who took part.