Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. has repeatedly vacationed with his family on a 164-foot yacht owned by Nascar mogul Rick Hendrick following a lucrative sponsorship deal, Politico reported Thursday. Liberty University has sponsored a car with Hendrick Motorsports since at least 2018 as part of a multi-million dollar contract, the report says.

Hendrick has previously spoken at commencement at the university. Liberty also offers courses in automotive dealership management for its students in partnership with Hendrick Automotive Group.

Falwell’s use of the yacht raises concerns about his financial oversight of the university. The yacht vacations could be one of the reasons behind Falwell’s support of the sponsorship agreement with Hendrick.

Falwell was vacationing on this yacht when he took a recent photo with his pants unzipped and his arm around a woman, who was not his wife. The now-deleted Instagram post sparked controversy for the head of the evangelical university, with Falwell agreeing to take an indefinite leave of absence.

Liberty alumnus Jonathan Merritt, a religion writer and commentator whose father served on Liberty’s board of trustees, recently told the Associated Press that Falwell is unlikely to be fired from his role.

While the board acknowledges that Falwell “made a serious mistake, most say they feel a duty and loyalty to his late father who wanted his son in that role,” Merritt said. “If the board was going to fire him, they would have also done so. It’s almost certain that he’ll be back.”

Liberty University was founded in 1971 by Falwell’s father, televangelist and conservative political activist Jerry Falwell Sr.

Falwell Jr. became Liberty University’s president after his father died in 2007.

Falwell Jr. is an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump. He has previously called Trump a “blue collar billionaire” and said he is "one of the greatest visionaries of our time."

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