UConn athletics posts $43.5 million deficit for 2020

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports For the past few years, UConn’s athletic department budget deficit has continued to grow as the old Big East payouts dried up. After posting deficits over $40 million for each of the past two years, UConn was once again in the red for the fiscal year 2020 (July 2019-June 2020), posting a $43.5 million deficit according to reports from Hearst Media and The Hartford Courant.

While the number is eye-popping, and the largest amount the school has posted to date, it isn't unexpected. Even before COVID-19 entered the picture, UConn expected the 2020 report to be worse before starting to improve in 2021. COVID-19 likely throws that timeline out of the window, but…