Canzano: Larry Scott hoping his Pac-12 issues simply blow over

Our own John Canzano wrote a piece published in OregonLive on Monday with some of his thoughts on the state of the Pac-12 Conference under commissioner Larry Scott following the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas.

The Pac-12 leader held a meeting on Saturday morning with all the athletic directors from the conference as well as the Pac-12 CEO Group. The meeting was held at the Aria Hotel and Resort, where Scott was staying in a lush suite that costs the average customer $7,500 a night.

Canzano writes:

The commissioner and chair of the CEO Group, Colorado Chancellor Philip DiStefano, held a media availability on Saturday night. They spun a merry, collegial tale, but I’m not sure anyone who saw it felt like anything was solved.

He offers further thoughts:

• Scott’s bosses know that firing him now will not only leave them on the hook for his $4.8 million-a-year salary through 2022, but serve as a bad look as the conference is trying to lure in a private-equity partner for its media rights. That said, I don’t think the CEO Group trusts Scott to stand out front alone anymore. It was never his strong suit. So having one of his bosses sitting beside him during the news conference on Saturday night was interesting.

And on the disclosure of financial details of the conference to the Athletic Directors:

• It will be interesting to see if the athletic directors get more information about the financials of the conference. To this point, my AD sources say they’ve asked for, but haven’t received good answers about the expenses of the conference. They’d like to know if Larry Scott is using a chartered plane, limousines and marble soaking tub on every trip he bills to the conference. He’d like them to mind their own business, and let him soak in peace.

Read all of Canzano’s Monday column here, and catch The Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano weekdays 12-3pm on 1029/750 The Game and here on 1029TheGame.com.

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