The Pac-12 conference announced last week that commissioner Larry Scott and the league’s CEO group mutually agreed to terminate Scott’s contract one year early. The termination of Scott’s contract ends his nearly 12-year tenure with the league, which came simultaneously with a series of changes across the landscape of college sports.
Scott’s contract, which was $5.4 million during 2018, was set to expire in 2022. Scott will still continue in his position until June 30, so he can assist with the conference’s transition to a new commissioner, according to Pac-12.
Scott’s tenure with Pac-12 included the league’s expansion to 12 teams in 2011, deals with ESPN and Fox, and the creation of a conference television network.
However, his contract drew a lot of criticism as the conference drifted out of contention for national championships for both football and men’s basketball, and the television contract annual payoff was lessened, and deals were cut by the other leagues. Pac-12 was behind the Big Ten by around $250 million and the SEC by $190 million in revenue during the 2019 fiscal year.
The decision to end his contract came with the beginning of negotiations for the league’s next media-rights agreement.
“What I really enjoyed doing was transforming, growing, scaling, which I really had a tremendous chance to do in the first half a dozen years I was with the conference,” Scott told USA Today.
“We expanded, started the TV network and TV deals, football championship game, helped create the (College Football Playoff). But the last years really haven’t presented those opportunities, and college sports are going in a different direction,” he said. “Our conference needs to go in a different direction with some things. I think it’s good for the Pac-12, too. Coming in with new leadership and new ideas will be healthy for the conference.”
