Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott has "agreed to a contract extension that will keep him" with the conference through '22, according to a source cited by Pete Thamel of SI.com. Scott had one year "remaining on his contract, and the Pac-12 presidents and chancellors recently approached him about an extension." Terms of the deal "aren't known," though Scott will "continue in his dual role" as commissioner and Pac-12 Enterprises Exec Chair. Scott joined the conference in '09, coming over from the WTA, where he served as CEO. He was been "widely hailed as a visionary and credited for modernizing the league soon after his arrival" at the Pac-12. Few would "argue how far Scott has taken the league, which was mired in an antiquated television deal when he arrived." He "oversaw the league’s expansion from 10 to 12 teams and the influx of cash has significantly bolstered the league’s competitiveness throughout all sports." But in recent years, Scott has "become a target for criticism because of the Pac-12 Network's distribution issues." The conference's annual distribution in '16, estimated at $27M per school projects to be $13M behind the SEC and $8M behind the Big Ten payouts. But while those numbers have "caused some grousing within some Pac-12 athletic departments, it clearly hasn’t been enough of an impediment to prevent the decision makers on campuses throughout the league to give Scott a five-year deal" (SI.com, 3/9).
