Burgos: Calhoun, reporter both wrong in sloppy salary saga

‘ ‘ ‘ Everybody calm down. Take a deep breath, it’s all right. No need to worry, Jim Calhoun’s… ‘ ‘ ‘ Everybody calm down. Take a deep breath, it’s all right. No need to worry, Jim Calhoun’s Connecticut Huskies bring in more than $12 million a year for his state-funded school. There is no need to panic. ‘ ‘ ‘ See, last weekend, Calhoun was the focal point of a fairly heated press conference after his team routed South Florida. The opening question came from freelance journalist Ken Krayeske, who questioned whether Calhoun’s hefty salary ‘mdash; reportedly $1.6 million a year, though Calhoun says he ‘makes much more than that’ ‘mdash; had anything to do with Connecticut’s overwhelming budget deficit of $944 million and asked if the coach would ever consider giving any of it back. ‘ ‘ ‘ Calhoun, employed by a public university, figures to be the state’s highest-paid employee and reportedly makes about 10 times more than Gov. M. Jodi Rell. So while his basketball team pretty much single-handedly supports Connecticut athletics, I have the inkling that $12 million isn’t quite covering the state’s large deficit. ‘ ‘ ‘ But let’s get to know Krayeske. The guy writes for his own progressive political Web site. He’s a member of the Green Party. He ran the 2006 gubernatorial campaign for the state’s Green Party candidate. Think about how much Rush Limbaugh likes to hear himself talk. He wants to stir the pot. ‘ ‘ ‘ Krayeske’s question took Calhoun off guard, which led to him insulting Krayeske, calling him ‘stupid,’ telling him to ‘shut up’ and ultimately insulting the entire profession of journalism while he was it. ‘ ‘ ‘ So who was right in this situation? Was Calhoun justified in his indictment of Krayeske? Was Krayeske being fair in opening a post-game press conference with a political question that, while legitimate, was probably inappropriate for the time? ‘ ‘ ‘ Is there any way they were both wrong? ‘ ‘ ‘ In Connecticut, Calhoun’s squad, along with the Lady Huskies, are the biggest shows around. They provide large sums of revenue for their school as well as countless entertainment for their fans. Having the No. 1 team in the country is a huge asset and it’s what makes sure that the lacrosse team has jock straps in its lockers. ‘ ‘ ‘ And Calhoun isn’t the only head coach leading his university’s payroll. Look no further than Pitt’s sideline and witness basketball coach Jamie Dixon, who’s raking in $1.6 million this year and is the University’s highest-paid employee. ‘ ‘ ‘ The country is in a recession and people all over are asking for employees and citizens to make sacrifices. President Barack Obama wants our CEOs to take pay cuts. So when Gov. Rell asks for all state employees to sacrifice, why does Calhoun get a free pass? Why does he explode at the media? Because, he brings the University 12 million bones a year, that’s why. ‘ ‘ ‘ It’s a problem we see across sports. MLB commissioner Bud Selig banks about $18 million a year. Is he going to give back a chunk of that? Should he? Probably. Will he? Naw. ‘ ‘ ‘ When these tough questions get brought up, nobody seems to want to answer them. ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt got his radio show indefinitely suspended when he questioned Selig. Calhoun rams loathsome words down Krayeske’s throat the first chance he gets. It comes down to Calhoun’s self-righteousness and corporations like ESPN being in bed with the leagues they broadcast to the extent that all candor is filtered out in favor of bipartisan and safe reporting.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Calhoun’s big salary guarantees his family security. It gets him a nice car. And the man doesn’t need to worry about retirement. The guy driving that bus? The dude picking up your trash? Or the public school teacher working her tail off to push education further in this country? Well, retirement won’t be quite as cushy as their fellow state-employed Calhoun.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ But Calhoun probably doesn’t think about them and surely doesn’t think he should care. Krayeske should have exercised more professionalism and realized his forum was not the best to introduce that type of subject. ‘ ‘ ‘ Krayeske was arrogant. Calhoun was more so. They are both obnoxious.