A private luxury bathroom and shower has been added to the office of Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh at a cost between $50,000 and $70,000, according to Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News.
"It was something I'd asked for," Harbaugh said. "It cuts down on drag."
By drag, Harbaugh means time. The nearest bathroom was about 20 steps down the hall from the football office and the nearest shower was two floors below Harbaugh's desk.
Although the addition was paid for by Stanford donor John Arrillaga, one of the most prominent landowners in Silicon Valley, the timing could not have been worse.
The athletic department is facing a multimillion-dollar revenue shortfall. More than 20 jobs have been eliminated this year through layoffs and buyouts and team budgets have been cut. Harbaugh agreed to a contract extension last year worth a reported $1.25 million per year, but the board of trustees, outraged by the timing, put the deal on hold.
The private bathroom and shower appear to put Harbaugh in a class by himself. California's Jeff Tedford, UCLA’s Rick Neuheisel and USC’s Pete Carroll do not enjoy such a perk.
"Pete uses the same men's room as everyone else," a USC spokesman told Wilner.
Thanks to Image of Sport.
Every football coach in the Pac 10 is on the phone right now, finding a contractor.
Posted by: Dumbo | August 26, 2009 at 05:58 AM
Who cares! If a donor wants to pay for this specific thing, then so be it. If a donor comes to you and says this, do you it to him. Maybe it's not the best way to donate your money, but if it's something that keeps your coach happy...then do it. Keeping successful coaches is part of college football.
Posted by: sfduck | August 26, 2009 at 11:49 AM
I'll take a nice custom bathroom/shower attached to my office anytime.
A billionaire will pick up the tab?
What are billionaires good for otherwise?
This NOTHING story is not about expenses or expense accounts or about billionaires tacking on bathroom additions to the fabulous buildings they build for football squads.
It's about sportswriters who invent sensational and spectacular stories out of nothing and out of thin air, just to draw attention to themselves and keep themselves from unemployment...
Otherwise, it's a story about the cost of a bathroom addition, paid for by someone who doesn't feel a dent.
And I swear, I know guys who could have done just as well for half the cost...
Show me the job, I'll do a better job at that price, and maybe even at a better price too!
(I dream of bidding jobs for billionaires.)
Posted by: Coach | August 26, 2009 at 12:53 PM