It's tough to say, because I know the casino world pretty well as I go once or twice a month and understand how the system works. I'm a little fish, but still get limo rides, free rooms, free flights, free money, free food, free gifts including TV's, electronics such as iPods and iPads, gift cards, anything you can basically think of.
He probably received a comped room due to a back door deal where he brought a tournament and a lot of traveling fans and others from across the country to Vegas, meaning they get more business and promotions while he gets a cut from that or posh digs like the article states.
I have a family friend that puts on a golf tournament twice a year in Biloxi where he gets free accommodations and a cut of all their gambling for the weekend. He stresses that everyone play on a player's card. Why? So they can be tracked and he can make himself a little once the dust settles.
All that being said, his comment about "be happy you're getting what you get" would have received a right hook from me to his face. I will never understand why people in his position feel they can just be obnoxious jerks to everyone below them. On top of that, with the crappy job he's doing, I cannot believe he still has a job. The Pac-12 is awful. He is a slimy dude. So I can actually see both sides here and really not sure what has happened.