Breaking News: Pac-12 and Commissioner Larry Scott Agree To Part Ways
The PAC-12 Conference and commissioner Larry Scott have mutually agreed to part ways effective this upcoming summer according to Michael Smith of the Sports Business Journal. The Pacific Athletic Conference will start its search for a new commissioner immediately multiple sources have confirmed.
The news broke Wednesday night following a meeting between Conference CEO's. Scott’s last day as the commissioner of the Pac-12 is expected to be on June 30, and the successor is expected to take over immediately following his departure.
Scott signed a five-year extension back in 2017, but will leave a year early, as his current deal runs through 2022.
“I was in pro sports for 20 years, I’ve now been in college athletics for more than 10 years, and now is a great time in my life to pursue other exciting opportunities. This moment, when college athletics are moving in a new direction and with the Conference soon commencing the next round of media negotiations, it seems the right time to make a change.
It is important that the conference be able to put in place the person who will negotiate and carry out that next agreement. Based on the recent robust valuation and marketplace interest we’ve received from traditional and nontraditional media organizations, I am confident the conference is well-positioned for continued success. I appreciate the support of the Pac-12 member institutions and a very talented staff, with whom it has been my privilege to work,” Scott said in a statement from the PAC-12 conference.
Scott has been the commissioner of the Pac-12 for the past 11 years. He will continue to lead the conference of champions through the remainder of the academic year to allow for a smooth transition.
During Scott's tenure, the Pac-10 became the Pac-12 by adding Colorado and Utah to the conference in 2011. The conference also created the North and South divisions as well as a football championship game.
The additions helped the conference partner and agree to a 12-year, $3 billion media rights deal with FOX and ESPN that same year.
At the time, the deal set a high standard in the college sports market for other Power-Five conferences to cash in big at the time. A year later, Scott launched the Pac-12 Network in August of 2012.
In recent years, the league has publicly announced that it has struggled financially. A few reasons why include the lack of primetime exposure as well as the leagues inability to perform up to standards compared to the rest of the Power-Five conferences football and men's basketball programs.
The decision to step down is being called mutual between the 56-year-old Scott and university presidents who make up the league's executive committee, as confirmed by the Associated Press.
The Pac-12 executive committee, including University of Oregon President Michael Schill as chair; Kirk H. Schulz, Washington State University president; and Ana Mari Cauce, president of the University of Washington, will immediately begin a national search for Scott's replacement.
