Burton asks for $3M refund

January has not been a good month for the UConn football program.

The Huskies lost the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 to Oklahoma and then lost coach Randy Edsall to Maryland the next day. Add a prominent benefactor to the list of January losses.

Robert G. Burton, one of the program's main donors, wrote a letter to athletic director Jeff Hathaway asking for the athletic department to return his donation and take his name off the Burton Family Football Complex. Burton doesn't want a dime back, he wants a refund of $3 million.

The 70-year-old Greenwich businessman was upset with Hathaway over the lack of inclusion in new football coach Paul Pasqualoni's hiring. Burton was involved with Edsall's hire 12 years ago.

"I am fed up with you as a manager because you did not let the hiring process take place in an open manner," Burton wrote in his six-page letter. "You and your committee of three talked to some coaches and made a critical decision about who you were going to hire without input from knowledgeable people who care about the program."

Burton did not support the Pasqualoni hiring, preferring new Temple coach and former Connecticut native Steve Addazio for the position.

"To be crystal clear, I was not looking for veto power over the next hire; I just wanted to be kept in the loop and add value and comments on any prospective candidates," Burton said in the letter. "This is the same process that [former assistant director] Lew Perkins had with me when Randy Edsall was hired in December of 1998. You did not call me and ask for information on Pasqualoni or talk to my son Joe, who started as an offensive lineman at Syracuse from 1997-2001. Instead you listened to others."

Burton also stated he will take "eight actions" immediately, including canceling his "$50,000-a-year suite at Rentschler Field," according to the Hartford Courant. He will also not pay for the $8,000 ad on the inside of the program, and will move his $1.5 million scholarship to the Business School.

Burton's son, Mike, was a captain for the UConn football team during the 1999 season. The UConn athletic department responded to Burton's letter.

"The UConn Division of Athletics followed a very thoughtful and thorough process in its search for the University's next football coach, which was the subject of great interest on the part of the UConn community, including our fans, donors and alumni," the university said in a statement. "Many people, including Mr. Burton, shared their ideas about potential candidates with us."

Arthur Sorrentino, communications director for the University of Connecticut Foundations, was not aware of any other donors withdrawing their funds, according to the Courant.

"The UConn Foundation was notified that Robert Burton had sent a letter to Athletic Director Jeff Hathaway requesting the return of his donation to name the Burton Family Football Complex," the UConn Foundation said in a statement. "We take seriously the concerns of all donors to the University of Connecticut. At this time we are reviewing the pertinent documentation and facts related to this situation."

The Day of New London first reported the news.