Executives from Washington and Oregon acknowledged in writing that they would be excluded from decisions related to the Pac-12’s future — a potentially critical piece of evidence as Washington State and Oregon State, the only remaining schools, wage a legal battle for control of the conference.
The letters were written by Washington president Ana Mari Cauce and Oregon vice president Kevin S. Reed to Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff. They are dated Aug. 4, the day the Huskies and Ducks agreed to join the Big Ten, and were obtained by the Hotline this week from Whitman County Superior Court.
Except for the first six words, the letters are identical. (Cauce’s version is below.) They begin by explaining that the Pacific Northwest powers would not sign “a grant of media rights authorization” — the move that sent five other schools fleeing to other leagues and triggered the Pac-12’s collapse.
The letters then state that Washington and Oregon expected “to remain an active and participating member in the Conference until” next summer. But both Cauce and Reed, who doubles as Oregon’s general counsel, seemingly acknowledged that they were relinquishing their board authority on long-term strategic matters:
“I understand that the University will be excluded from Conference discussions pertaining to matters occurring after August 1, 2024, such as media rights agreements and new Conference member considerations.”
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Abbreviated story by: Jon Wilner
The letters were written by Washington president Ana Mari Cauce and Oregon vice president Kevin S. Reed to Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff. They are dated Aug. 4, the day the Huskies and Ducks agreed to join the Big Ten, and were obtained by the Hotline this week from Whitman County Superior Court.
Except for the first six words, the letters are identical. (Cauce’s version is below.) They begin by explaining that the Pacific Northwest powers would not sign “a grant of media rights authorization” — the move that sent five other schools fleeing to other leagues and triggered the Pac-12’s collapse.
The letters then state that Washington and Oregon expected “to remain an active and participating member in the Conference until” next summer. But both Cauce and Reed, who doubles as Oregon’s general counsel, seemingly acknowledged that they were relinquishing their board authority on long-term strategic matters:
“I understand that the University will be excluded from Conference discussions pertaining to matters occurring after August 1, 2024, such as media rights agreements and new Conference member considerations.”
.
Abbreviated story by: Jon Wilner
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