Michigan AD says Rome trip cost nearly $800,000

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer
Michigan football seemed to have a really good time in Rome. (Getty)
Michigan football seemed to have a really good time in Rome. (Getty)

The anonymous donor who funded Michigan football’s trip to Rome paid almost $800,000 for the jaunt.

Athletic director Warde Manuel said the trip’s bill would likely come in between $750,000-$800,000. From the Detroit News:

“It’s going to come in around $750,000, $800,000,” Manuel said Tuesday at Egypt Valley Country Club, where he participated in the Meijer LPGA Classic celebrity Pro-Am. “Waiting on a few numbers, so we don’t have it final, final, but it will be around 750, 800.

“It will be about $5,000 to $6,000 a person, so it was a great investment. It was just terrific. We pay them through an educational experience like Michigan does all the time. I don’t think about it in terms of paying our athletes but if people want to say we should give something to our students of value, I can’t think of a better way to invest in them for their lifetime and their experience.”

The person who paid for the trip has asked to be anonymous, so don’t count on finding out who it is anytime soon. And since it was paid for by a donor, it needs to be said that taxpayer dollars weren’t used for the trip. That should be understood, but sometimes you never know.

[Follow Dr. Saturday on social media: Twitter | Facebook]

Michigan went to Rome after the spring semester ended. Players got a chance to tour Italy as well as practice in what was Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s latest way to be adventurous with offseason practices.

After he took his team to Florida for some spring practices in 2016, other coaches groused and a rule was made regarding off-campus practices in a vacation period. Since the Rome trip came at the end of the semester, the restrictions installed after the Florida trip didn’t apply.

The attention that Harbaugh wanted for the trip certainly worked. ESPN followed the Wolverines around in addition to the school’s beat writers. The coach has said that he has other trips he wants to do for future years, though no specific dates or locations have been set.

For more Michigan news, visit TheWolverine.com.


– – – – – – –

Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!