PAC 12 Commissioner Larry Scott Stepping Down

By Ovi Muniz

According to the Associated Press, PAC-12 Commissioner Larry Scott is stepping down at the end of June. Sports Business Journal was the first to report the news Wednesday night. There was a mutual agreement between Scott and the university presidents who make up the league’s executive committee. To feed off more from Jack Barsch’s article “The PAC-12 has a PAC-12 Problem,” back in September 2020 in the Ralphie Report, Scott demonstrated a lack of leadership throughout the pandemic. Here are some areas in which he was decided to leave his position:

1. Kyle Bonagura’s Twitter last August explained how the PAC-12 occupancy expenses reached over $8 million while the rest of the Power 5 (ACC, B1G, Big12, and SEC) spent over $1 million combined.
2. The firing of staff members during the pandemic had affected morale across the workplace.
3. The Pac-12 was not the leader to combat COVID-19. Let’s give credit to the ACC, Big12, and SEC to manage and play the game first while the PAC12 and Big Ten sat back and watched, only to change their minds midseason. Again, PAC-12 was the last to follow suit.
4. The PAC-12 football players unified their statements about #WeAreUnited. Players began to exploit college athletes physically, economically, and academically and disproportionately harm Black college athletes. Players were opting to leave the conference and play elsewhere.

There is not much news that came with Scott’s future departure. But if you consolidate the past three years under Scott’s leadership, there is not much to say. The PAC-12 conference has been at the bottom of the Power Five, and change is needed.

Scott’s contract was set to expire in June 2022. Throughout his 12 years, he is responsible for the expansion from PAC-10 to PAC-12 (adding Colorado and Utah). He helped secure TV deals with ESPN and FOX to build its market.

Rumors are speculating about the next successor to the throne. The Spun reported that Oliver Luck, Bernard Muir, Gloria Nevarez, Burke Magnus, Dan Radakovich, and Gene Smith are potential names that can oversee the conference.