Nick Rolovich: ‘I haven’t gotten one thank you card for the travel subsidies’

After a successful first season in charge of the Rainbow Warriors, head coach Nick Rolovich is voicing some of his frustrations he has with the Mountain West Conference. In 2012, Hawaii agreed to join the Mountain West with a stipulation that stated UH would be responsible for the costs of conference teams traveling to Hawaii for games.

“I haven't gotten one thank you card for the travel subsidies,” Rolovich told Hawaii News Now.

The challenges created by stipulation were not something that program previously faced when they were in WAC, in which Hawaii paid $0 for home games. The rule is something that no other Mountain West team faces and cost Hawaii $625,000 in 2015 for four Mountain West home games.

Coach Rolovich wanted it to be known that the program values their spot in the conference but thinks the deserve more respect for what they bring to the Mountain West.

“I think there's some value that UH brings that we're not getting credit for. The ability to have week zero games ... that means you can play a week earlier, and you have TV options, and that's only in place because of us,” said Rolovich.

The Hawaii athletics already in debt and says the money used for the travel stipulation could be easily relocated within the department to help cover other expenses. This issue is being brought up before the Mountain West coaches meetings.

Rolovich feels that his program deserves more respect from the MWC and that at some point they are going to have to stand for themselves if they continue to build in the right direction.