Outgoing Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott has revealed that, "yes, he does have regrets" about his tenure, namely, he "should not have struck such a long-term television deal in 2011 that, years later, has his teams operating under an antiquated contract that generates far fewer dollars than its competitors like the Big Ten and SEC," according to a Q&A with Ross Dellenger of SI.com. Scott yesterday admitted, "There are a lot of things I could have done better along the way. If there’s one thing I could wave a magic wand over, it’s that." Below are Q&A excerpts, edited for clarity and brevity:
Q: How did this go down?
Scott: What became clear from the first conversation is the conference leadership wants to head in a new direction. I was able to express to the group that it’s a good time in my life to make a change having done it ... 20 years in pro sports and 10 here. And seeing the different direction college sports is going in and where our league is heading at the moment ... I thought a fresh start for them would be good.
Q: What's next for you?
Scott: I don’t have a specific thing I’m moving to. I’ll stay focused on this. There are plenty of challenges we’ve been dealing with over the last year and I want to make sure I can provide steady leadership through choppy waters over the next few months.
Q: Until you leave the job, what are the big goals for you?
Scott: COVID first and then it’s a very disruptive time for our league and college athletics. It’s very intense. Just managing through our sports seasons. Secondly, we’re trying to chart a course around very important long-term strategic issues -- NIL, Alston (Supreme Court case), revising a compact with our student athletes. That’s the next few months for sure.
Q: When you look back on your tenure, what do you believe are your greatest accomplishments?
Scott: My mission when I was hired was to transform and modernize the league. There are a lot of different ways in which we did that, starting with expanding the conference, moving to equal revenue sharing, starting the football championship game, bringing our basketball tournament to Las Vegas, starting the Pac-12 Network and setting us up for great success when the conference goes to market (for a new TV deal). First league to do stuff in China and in Asia (SI.com, 1/21).
