An internal audit has found extensive mismanagement within the budget-challenged Washington State athletic department, including the possible inflation of home football attendance figures and the improper distribution of free tickets to football games. “The environment within Athletics … did not support a culture of compliance or fiscal responsibility,” according to the audit report, which was completed in mid-April.
The audit was initially intended to examine the distribution of tickets and passes to Washington State football games to ensure regulations were being followed. But it expanded as problems were discovered with contract management, ethics training, attendance data, benefits for athletic department employees and other issues. The school responded to the audit by saying changes were coming because of the hiring of a new athletic director and other top administrators.
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