Rutgers: Athletic department outspent its revenue in fiscal 2017

PISCATAWAY - The Rutgers University athletic department outspent its revenue in fiscal 2017, according to the annual report on its operating budget.

The report was obtained by USA TODAY via an Open Public Records Act request.

For fiscal 2017, the athletic department brought in $96.9 million, but it spent $99.2 million, leaving a $2.3 million operating deficit. This, despite athletics receiving $21.32 million in direct institutional support from the school and another $11.77 million in student fees.

The $33 million subsidy in fiscal 2017 is up from more than $28 million in fiscal 2016, when athletics received $17.16 million in institutional support and another $11.42 million in student fees.

In fiscal 2013, Rutgers had a national all-time high subsidy of $46.9 million, a number that had come down in recent years.

Rutgers, which joined the Big Ten in 2014 after leaving the Big East in 2012 and spending the 2013-14 academic year in the AAC, has never had a higher operating budget. The $99.2 million spent on athletics in fiscal 2017 is up from $83.97 million in fiscal 2016.

A full revenue share from the Big Ten is not coming to Piscataway until 2021. According to the financial report, Rutgers received $16.1 million from the Big Ten in fiscal 2017, up from $9.8 million in fiscal 2016. Those numbers will continue to rise each year until the full share comes.

As a point of reference, a full Big Ten revenue share in 2017-18 was set at $51.1 million.

One football-related expenditure jumped out from the report. In fiscal 2017, Rutgers spent $3.1 million on support staff and administrative compensation. That number was up from $1.1 million in fiscal 2016.

Rutgers also paid $5.4 million in severance, $4.7 million of that going to previous football and men's basketball staffs. The $5.4 million in severance was up from $3.7 million in fiscal 2016.

Rutgers athletic depart subsidies since 2005

Fiscal Year 2005: $19.9 million

FY 2006: $20.2 million

FY 2007: $20.2 million

FY 2008: $22.2 million

FY 2009: $25.7 million

FY 2010: $26.8 million

FY 2011: $28.4 million

FY 2012: $28 million

FY 2013: $46.9 million (national all-time high)

FY 2014: $36.3 million

FY 2015: $23.7 million

FY 2016: $28.6 million

FY 2017: $33 million

Staff Writer Josh Newman: jnewman@app.com; @Joshua_Newman