Opinion: Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott Didn't Act, He Reacted
The Big Ten announced it was bringing football back in October, and commissioner Larry Scott and the Pac-12 followed with a similar move.
A month before, when the Big Ten postponed its football season, Scott and the conference matched that action.
Scott made it known throughout the Pac-12 and Big Ten being estranged from college football that he was in constant contact with Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren.
The difference between Warren and Scott is that the Big Ten leader takes responsibility and ownership of his conference. In an interview with Teddy Greenstein of The Chicago Tribune, Warren admitted he didn't think the decision to postpone football would be scrutinized as much as it was.
"It was completely mishandled; it was botched," Warren said. "Larry and I talked the other day, and he agreed.”
While no one argued that Scott was not looking out for his athletes, it appears that he was not looking for ways forward. With the original conference-only schedule, Pac-12 games still wouldn't have started until next week.
The argument is not whether the Pac-12 shutting down college football in the fall was the right or wrong decision – it appears that Scott and the conference just did and would only do whatever Warren and the Big Ten decided.
That's not leadership--that's following.
It wasn't until the Big Ten made a move that Scott decided to act and then he began pointing fingers at the states. He sought no alternate course. He simply sat on his hands.
With the Pac-12 close to becoming the only Power 5 school not playing, all eyes were suddenly on Scott to see what he would do. His image has taken more of a pounding.
The conference has been criticized for having late game times, poor recruitment and a lack of prominence. It all comes back to Scott's lack of leadership on all fronts.
National champions are leaders, not followers. Arguments continue to be made that a change of Pac-12 leadership is needed.
The universities of the Pac-12 conference are known for the innovation, cutting edge ideas, championing causes. What cause did Scott champion for the conference of champions? None.
What has Scott been doing all of this time? He's sat and watched as the NFL found a way forward along with the other elite conferences. He's still making his money but Washington players like Levi Onwuzurike and Joe Tryon who aren't able to have head-turning seasons to where they can make Larry Scott-type money in the NFL.
It's time that the man atop the Conference of Champions began thinking like a champion, acting like a champion so that the athletes can play like champions.
