UGA president backs athletic director's raise

ATHENS -- University of Georgia President Michael Adams says granting athletic director Damon Evans a substantial pay raise was the right thing to do.

Evans was scheduled to make $460,000 next year. Under a new five-year contract approved Wednesday by Adams and the board of the university's athletic association, Evans will get $550,000, plus automatic raises of $20,000 a year and a $250,000 longevity bonus after five years.

Adams says the raise puts Evans' pay in line with other athletic directors in the Southeastern Conference.

The increase comes at a time when faculty and other university workers are getting no raises.

Adams predicts that coaches and athletics administrators won't continue to get the big raises they've seen in recent years, but he said the university will keep up with other schools.