Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe was working yesterday "on an agreement to leave his position," according to sources cited by Mike DeArmond of the K.C. STAR. The formal announcement of Beebe's departure is "expected to come today." Beebe's job "came in question earlier this week when a report out of Oklahoma said a condition for the Sooners' continued membership in the Big 12 was to have a new commissioner." A source said that "one of the things that contributed to Beebe's decision to leave" was how he "was perceived by some as being too willing to do the bidding" of the Univ. of Texas. The source said that Univ. of Missouri Chancellor and Big 12 BOD Chair Brady Deaton "was resisting Beebe's decision to step down." But the source added that Beebe "decided this move would be in the best interest of the Big 12, 'that they need a fresh start in the conference and not to go back to Groundhog Day where they were having this same conversation next year'" (K.C. STAR, 9/22). In N.Y., Pete Thamel notes Beebe is "owed about $4 million, which he will probably get much of" because it is hard to imagine university presidents "wanting any part of a contractual lawsuit" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/22). CBSSPORTS.com's Dennis Dodd reports former Big Eight Commissioner Chuck Neinas is "expected to be formally approved as the league's interim commissioner," perhaps as soon as today. Neinas today said that he "had been contacted by Big 12 representatives who inquired about his interest in replacing" Beebe. He added that his "employment is an agenda item during the Big 12 presidents' conference call" today. Dodd notes Neinas' hiring "would seem to be a formality considering Neinas has conducted employment searches for seven of the current nine members" of the conference. Neinas "expects the position to last six months to a year" (CBSSPORTS.com, 9/22).
STILL WORK TO BE DONE: In Oklahoma City, Gina Mizell notes the Board of Regents for Oklahoma Agriculture and Mechanical Colleges gave Oklahoma State Univ. President Burns Hargis the authority to "assess and recommend to the Board what is best for Oklahoma State." Hargis yesterday said that he "believes the best option for OSU is working to reform and stabilize the Big 12, echoing a statement" released by Univ. of Oklahoma President David Boren Tuesday night. Hargis: "If we all have the attitude that we want to have an equal role in the success of this conference, I think we'll come to a consensus." Hargis "identified revenue sharing and rights for television contracts as issues that need to be addressed." The Big 12 BOD will meet today, and Hargis said that "some form or resolution and renewed commitment to the conference could come by this weekend." Hargis "reaffirmed that OSU and OU are working together to determine the future of both schools" (THE OKLAHOMAN, 9/22). Hargis said, "The issues are not that numerous, and, in my opinion, not that difficult. I think if we can really sit down and talk through them, I think it's very possible that we'll get there" (TULSA WORLD, 9/22). However, in Tulsa, John Klein notes it is "not a done deal that Oklahoma State and Oklahoma will be in some sort of reconfigured Big 12 Conference." At least one regent said that there is "still a chance that a deal to save the Big 12 might fail." An OSU source "put the future of the Big 12 moving forward with the current nine members at 'about 80 percent'" (TULSA WORLD, 9/22).
NOT TO BE OUTDONE: A Big 12 school official yesterday said that Boren "called Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott on Tuesday morning to tell him OU and OSU would not be joining the Pac-12." The source said that Boren "asked the Pac-12 to delay its no-expansion announcement to give Boren time to gain leverage for making reforms in the Big 12." The source indicated that the Pac-12 made its "unexpected announcement because it didn't want to be upstaged and embarrassed again by Texas, as it was last year" (TULSA WORLD, 9/22). Scott yesterday said, "This morning I woke up and was relieved to have a pretty major distraction off our plates. It's absolutely not a given that our conference needs to expand. Our 12-team conference only just started." In S.F., John Crumpacker notes, "In the end, the deal-breaker was Texas' intransigence on its new Longhorn Network that it brokered with ESPN for $300 million over 20 years." Scott: "It would require a folding-in of the Longhorn Network ... with all the revenue shared equally. I came to the conclusion over the weekend that wasn't going to be possible." Univ. of California-Berkeley AD Sandy Barbour: "What makes our conference an equal partnership was our decision to share revenue equally. I think that's a very important principle for us" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 9/22).
EYE OF THE TIGER: A source said that Missouri "remains in the eye of the SEC as that conference studies where the Big 12 stands." In St. Louis, Vahe Gregorian notes the perspective has "somewhat evolved from a previous stance by the SEC that it would back off any thoughts of Mizzou unless the Big 12 crumbled." The SEC also "appears to be analyzing whether MU would cripple the Big 12's recovery efforts, particularly in terms of what the departure would mean to the conference's television deals and thus whether legal issues could be at play as they are with Texas A&M's departure from the Big 12 to the SEC, a move that remains in traction" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/22). In San Antonio, Mike Finger notes last year, Big 12 schools "made a 10-year pledge to stay put." However, UT men's AD DeLoss Dodds said, "Looking someone in the eye, I don't think that works. You have to get something on paper." Dodds noted that UT is "not in favor of schools signing away their game rights to the conference for five years to ensure they don't leave." He said that he would "prefer another solution, such as increasing exit fees." Dodds added that increasing exit fees, "coupled with lucrative Big 12 TV deals expected to pay each school about $20 million annually, gives programs plenty of incentive to stay" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 9/22).
CAN'T FIGHT THE LAW: In Ft. Worth, Anna Tinsley reports Texas state lawmakers "are closely watching in case they can do something to help protect long-standing college football traditions." More than "a dozen state lawmakers, including several from North Texas, fired off a letter to the University of Texas at Austin this week, asking school officials to do what they can to work out differences with Oklahoma and 'preserve' the Big 12." The lawmakers "proposed reviving and expanding the conference to 14 or 16 members and adding the remaining members of the Big East Conference into a 'newly configured Big 12 Conference.'" State House Speaker Joe Straus said that he "has asked Texas colleges to 'be good neighbors to the others'" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 9/22). However, state Rep. Joaquin Castro indicated that he is "happy the Legislature was not dragged into the realignment negotiations." Castro: "We should not micromanage. We should have some oversight of the schools, but these types of decisions should be left to them" (LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL, 9/22). Meanwhile, in Orlando, Mike Bianchi writes it is time for government officials to stop the Univ. of South Florida "from the apparent back-room politicking in yet another petty, pathetic attempt" to keep the Univ. of Central Florida from "gaining access to the big money and the big exposure of the Big East." Bianchi: "How about Florida politicians persuading USF to sign off on UCF because it's in the best interest of the state?" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 9/22).
