Outback Steakhouse and Red Lobster are just two restaurants included in the delivery of more than $450,000 worth of food to members of the Rutgers University football team, a bill ultimately paid for by the university, taxpayer and students. According to a review of invoices and other documents by northjersey.com from May 2021 through June 2022, Rutgers football players expensed DoorDash deliveries during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the university’s athletics department operated at a $73 million deficit.
The investigation also found that athletes made orders for pharmacy items and one player made orders while in Florida. Rutgers is not disputing the figures and instead defending the pricey tab, saying “Many of our student-athletes come from economically challenged backgrounds and in addition to how difficult it was to meet their nutritional needs with COVID, this was the best way to look out for our student-athletes’ welfare.”
