.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Michigan's athletic director says the football team's recent trip to Italy will probably cost upwards of $800,000 when the final numbers are tabulated.
The team went to Rome in April and spent a couple of days touring sites around the city, including attending a papal mass in Vatican City. The team also practiced at AC Roma's venue
"Waiting on a few numbers, so we don't have it final," AD Warde Manuel told the Detroit News. "It will be about $5,000 to $6,000 a person, so it was a great investment. It was just terrific. We pay them through an educational experience, like Michigan does all the time. I don't think about it in terms of paying our athletes, but if people want to say we should give something to our students of value, I can't think of a better way to invest in them for their lifetime and their experience."
The trip was paid for by an anonymous donor, who did not set limits on cost.
“We utilized the money he gave us,” Manuel said. “It was an unrestricted donation.”
Other Michigan sports teams are also taking overseas trips this year. The men's tennis team went to France for a week and the women's basketball team is scheduled to go to Italy in August.
The Wolverines football team opens its 2017 season against Florida on Sept. 2.
