An Update From AD Jon Gilbert

Pirate Nation:

We sincerely miss you.

We miss spending time with you at our athletic venues watching our Pirates compete.

We miss watching our spring sports outside in beautiful Eastern North Carolina weather.

We miss relishing in the wins and supporting one another in the heartbreak of defeat.

We miss the energy of working on a college campus with 25,000-plus students.

Driving by our empty facilities daily on my way into an empty athletics department is truly a humbling experience.

Virtual calls with staff, coaches and student-athletes just aren't the same.

As Chancellor Ron Mitchelson wrote yesterday, we intend to be back on campus in the fall while taking the necessary precautions.

These are challenging times for everyone in our country.

I admire the bravery of the men and women on the front lines of this COVID-19 pandemic. I hurt for the individuals suffering from the disease, the people longing for a return to work, the local businesses that are struggling to keep their doors open. I think about our student-athletes spread out across the country dealing with different living circumstances and arrangements.

I believe better days are ahead. Please know you are not alone. We are in this together.

Sports unite Pirate Nation. There's something magical about walking into one of our facilities and seeing a crowd of purple and gold. It will be back. But we must understand the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we all do business.

It is necessary we plan accordingly and prepare for the future.

The cancellation of the NCAA basketball tournament and our spring sports schedules have severely impacted our department.

Our staff is working diligently to digest the continuous flow of information from several different entities to formulate a financial plan to navigate through these uncertain times. Through all the different scenarios, we know one thing: our budgets will change for the foreseeable future. There's simply no way around it.

We must chart a course that will be sustainable for our future and that will be a very painful process at times.

I can't tell you an exact financial number today of the impact our athletics department will face. With the immediate future still unknown, it would only be a guess.
Prior to COVID-19, our fragile financial picture was well-documented, and we were working with the University on a plan to make athletics more sustainable for the future.

Due to the pandemic, we anticipate revenue shortfalls in these main buckets: NCAA/AAC distributions, Pirate Club donations, corporate sponsorship, baseball and softball ticket sales, concessions and licensing revenue. Due to these shortfalls, we anticipate our deficit will grow by at least five million dollars.

As you can clearly see, we must reduce expenses significantly in the upcoming fiscal year which begins July 1. This is simply an estimation of numbers that could rise depending on a variety of factors.

I understand the numbers above can be hard to digest, but I also believe in transparency.

As communicated to coaches and staff, every budget reduction option is on the table at this point. Our coaches and staff have been extremely helpful and understanding through this process.

We will honor all scholarships of every senior spring student-athlete who decides to return for an extra year per the NCAA legislation. Of the 33 eligible seniors, 14 have decided to return for an additional season which will cost an additional $275,000. Some seniors have already committed to jobs, have opted to attend graduate school or already made future plans. Squad sizes and equipment costs will grow, but we are formulating a plan to absorb those costs.

Our staff will be sending an email tomorrow to Pirate Nation announcing our new priority ticket deadline and incentives to renew your tickets.

It is imperative we continue to plan for the 2020-21 academic year and the arrival of our student-athletes in the fall. Scholarship costs have reached over $8 million per year and the support of our Pirate Club members is as vital as ever. Making an investment in the Pirate Club and scholarships is a great way to support our student-athletes.

We understand there could be reluctance and fear from our fans about attending large sporting events in the fall. When we play football at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this year, we will take the necessary steps to provide a safe environment. Our priority will always be the well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans. Full refunds will be given in the event football is not played.

Our student-athletes continue to inspire me with their dedication and discipline to stay locked in academically as all classes have moved online. Assistant Athletics Director for Student Development Nita Boyce and her staff, along with our coaches, have done a tremendous job working together to make sure our student-athletes have the necessary resources to be successful.

Pirate Nation will be back stronger than ever.

We will play football again.

We will feel the energy and excitement inside our athletic venues again.

The greatest tailgate scene in the country will return.

Stadiums full of purple and gold will occur again.

Most importantly, Pirate Nation will unite once again!

Let's continue to be smart, practice social distancing and get ready for an exciting fall. When we are given the green light by national, state and local officials, we will open our doors and be ready for an exciting brand of Pirate Athletics.

Go Pirates!

Jon

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