Yes, we have seen sub-mediocrity and much worse in Gophers football over the past 4½ decades, but the difference is, the sporting public has never been asked previously to be proud of it.

And now the university athletic department, one day after being chided for excesses in spending in a report on an investigation that cost $690,000, confirmed on Wednesday that bowl bonuses will be paid to the football coaches (including Jerry Kill) — even though those bonuses were written into their contracts in the belief that .500 seasons were a requirement for bowl eligibility.

Nebraska had a higher academic rating than Minnesota, yet the athletic director, Shawn Eichorst, had the good taste to tell coach Mike Riley and his staff there would be no bowl bonuses … not for something as paltry as a 5-7 season.

This entire thing — going to a bowl game, paying a bonus to the staff for coaching up its squad from 5-3 in the Big Ten in 2014 to 2-6 in 2015 — is a fiasco.

Patrick+ : startribune.com/sports