In 1997 the Courant got hold of some expense documentation and did an article about the spending largesse of both the men's and women's programs. Details about expenditures on fancy hotels, dinners, etc. One example given was a huge men's bb bill for breakfast OJ at the Four Seasons Hotel in NY, where the men's team stayed for the Big East tournament. Other excesses cited were $22,500 for athletic staff family members to attend a Final 4 (specified in Lew Perkins' contract), and the women's habit of staying at the JP. Morgan hotel across the street from the (then) Civic Center the night before games there.
Article quoted university 'justification' of the expenses and made it sound like the State U hoops teams were living like kings and wasting state money while the state was running a huge budget deficit. University President Austin indicated that, although it was "wrong" for the team to spend that much on OJ, the general level of expenses should be expected to remain about the same in order for UCONN to remain competitive athletically.
