Jarmond after taking his role in '20 faced an already crippling athletic department deficit that topped $100MGETTY IMAGES
UCLA AD Martin Jarmond "remains bullish" on the school's athletics as he approaches the start of his third year at the helm after two years that included "one squeamish situation after another," according to Ben Bolch of the L.A. TIMES. Navigating UCLA athletics through the early stages of a pandemic at a time when its apparel sponsor had backed out of a history-making deal "might feel like the good old days" for Jarmond. Upon joining, he also faced an "already crippling athletic department deficit" that "topped $100 million." Along the way, Jarmond, "absorbed criticism for not being more open in his communication about the problems." Jarmond "acknowledged some regrets ... while also touting successes such as the football team's resurgence that lured ESPN's 'College GameDay' to campus last fall and having four teams currently ranked in the top five nationally." Jarmond said, "The challenges that we've faced recently have prompted us to evaluate processes and have critical conversations. This is healthy. The things we're learning from them are going to make us better." Bolch notes winning big "could help solve what might constitute Jarmond's greatest dilemma: the budget." More buzz "equals more fans equals more dollars for an athletic department that desperately needs it all after posting a record $62.5-million deficit for the 2021 fiscal year." That tab "pushed the department's three-year deficit to a whopping $102.8 million." Jarmond: "This will take us a few years to solve, but I am confident that the budget situation will be fixed" (L.A. TIMES, 2/22).
