$150 million budget approved by Georgia athletic board

Georgia Athletic Director Josh Brooks, who succeeded Greg McGarity on Jan. 6, 2021, agreed to a four-year contract that will pay him $3.6 million its length. However, he remains one of the SEC's lowest-paid ADs. (UGA photo)

Georgia Athletic Director Josh Brooks, who succeeded Greg McGarity on Jan. 6, 2021, agreed to a four-year contract that will pay him $3.6 million its length. However, he remains one of the SEC's lowest-paid ADs. (UGA photo)

Georgia approved a fiscal year 2022 budget of $150,290,994 at the Athletic Association Board of Directors, the school announced Friday following its two-day spring meeting.

Athletic Director Josh Brooks thanked all coaches and staff for adhering to the “mission critical” mandate that prevailed through the 2021 fiscal year amid the coronavirus pandemic. The UGA Athletic Association was one of only several athletic departments that did not implement staff layoffs, cuts or furloughs, the school said.

“We’re talking about some big schools making massive cuts and laying staff members off,” Brooks said in a statement. “We had no layoffs, no furloughs, no pay cuts. And we were able to still do a lot of things, like charter flights. The question was, whenever an expense came up, ‘Does it impact the life of the student-athlete?’”