Ever since USC announced it was leaving for the Big Ten, nothing has happened which would make the Trojans stop and reconsider their decision. Just about everything which has transpired since June 30, 2022, has affirmed the belief that leaving the Pac-12 is good for USC.
We just saw another instance of this on Friday, as an ethics scandal rocked the conference and led to two dismissals of Pac-12 executives.
Pac-12 Networks president Mark Shuken and CFO Brent Willman were both hired under Larry Scott’s watch. They were dismissed by Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff on Friday, with approval from the Pac-12 Board of Directors, for failing to report overpayments from a media distribution partner.
It’s a tangled story, but the heart of it is that the overpayments were supposed to be reported to the Pac-12 Board of Directors and sent through the appropriate channels, and they weren’t. The overpayments distorted the budgetary realities for the conference and its member schools. Now this mess has to be sorted out.
How much are the overpayments, you ask? Over $50 million, according to a timeline produced by an investigation by independent outside legal counsel to the Pac-12.
Jon Wilner of the Wilner Hotline produced a detailed story on this scandal. You should read the whole thing.
The Pac-12 released a statement:
“Earlier today, the Pac-12 terminated the employment of two senior executives, effective immediately. This action was taken following an investigation conducted by independent outside legal counsel. The terminations resulted from a failure by those two executives to disclose material information to the Pac-12 Board of Directors and external Pac-12 auditors in connection with overpayments by a Pac-12 Networks distribution partner dating back to 2016,” the conference wrote.
“The Pac-12 took immediate and appropriate action to address this matter, consistent with best governance practices. Pac-12 leadership is committed to supporting our members and student-athletes, and always operating at the highest level of professionalism.”
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