Pac-12 ADs directed quiet frustration over the years at Scott and his staff due to a number of conference issuesGETTY IMAGES
The Pac-12 has undergone a "mammoth change in how it operates," as "no longer is policy set" by Commissioner Larry Scott and his top execs, according to Jon Wilner of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. Now, member school ADs are "setting the direction for the conference with the help of the Pac-12 staff and the blessing of the Pac-12 chancellors and presidents." Colorado Chancellor Phil DiStefano’s vision of a more "collaborative process took root in the late fall and has prompted a degree of unity not seen since the early years of Scott’s tenure." The Pac-12 was "roiling when its athletic directors gathered in Santa Clara in late October for their fall meeting with conference executives." Years of "quiet frustration came tumbling into the open," directed at Scott and his staff over "unmet revenue projections ... the sagging Pac-12 Networks, with misguided messaging and exorbitant spending and, above all, frustration with their lack of influence in setting conference policy and direction." Arizona AD Dave Heeke said, "We all stepped back and said, 'We want to work together on this and move forward.'" DiStefano believes that "dissenting views and healthy discussion" are "vital to a healthy policy-making process." He said, "Most of us ... believe in an open, transparent model." Sources said that this approach "runs counter to the model in place for most of the decade." But Wilner writes, "Those days are over" (MERCURYNEWS.com, 3/12).
LIFE OF LUXURY: In Portland, John Canzano noted the Pac-12 men's basketball tournament tips off today in Las Vegas, and Scott will spend the next four nights "living better than just about anyone in the imperial monarchy." A source said Scott's suite at the ARIA Resort & Casino for this week is a "comp." The optics of Scott's choice for a suite are "awful, no matter the cost." Pac-12 ADs have been "bellyaching for years about 'limo Larry's' expenses," and the ADs met with Scott in January and "requested a budget review." But Scott "shot them down." One AD said, "We’re not trying to be difficult. We’re just in cost-containment mode." Another said ADs were "told that we didn’t have the authority to request a budget review," as "only the presidents and chancellors can do that" (Portland OREGONIAN, 3/12).
