NCAA and Univ. of Texas officials said that they are discussing whether the ESPN-owned Longhorn Network “can air high school games without providing Texas an unfair recruiting advantage,” according to David Barron of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. NCAA Dir of Public & Media Relations Erik Christianson in an e-mail said the NCAA is "engaged in a conversation with the entities to better understand their plans and what bylaws come into play." UT men’s AD DeLoss Dodds on Thursday said that the university is “complying with the NCAA's request.” Dodds added that the athletic department “will not be involved with selecting high school games on LHN.” Dodds: “ESPN will select the games based on what they feel is best." ESPN said it "will not do anything on Longhorn Network that would compromise the University of Texas from a compliance perspective." Barron notes a rule from the University Interscholastic League, Texas' high school sports body, that prohibits "live TV game broadcasts on Friday nights” will apply to the LHN. Meanwhile, Dodds said that the additional Big 12 conference game that will air on LHN along with the Sept. 3 Rice-UT season opener “will be selected in consultation with the Big 12 and commissioner Dan Beebe” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/15).
