The DIA is on the hook for the cost of tuition as well as room and board in most cases for athletes on scholarship (not sure why so many are insistent that full ride scholarship athletes don't get room and board covered in their packet), which is generally separate from the university. The cost comes from there. The university is not actually paying the costs at all.
If all 300+ student athletes had full scholarships including room and board like football players, you are looking at over $15M in annual costs that has to come from the DIA budget. That is no drop in the bucket like some are claiming.
I think a lot of you are getting lost in the weeds here.
The discussion was originally about giving a single walk-on basketball player one of the (now) 15 available scholarships, not tennis or golf or badminton or even football, but rather one singular walk-on basketball player.