The Pac-12 and commissioner Larry Scott have agreed to part ways, the conference announced Wednesday. Scott is set to leave June 30 and the Pac-12 plans to have a new successor in place immediately after.
The Pac-12 executive committee, chaired by University of Oregon President Michael Schill, will begin its search for Scott’s replacement immediately.
The Pac-12′s official announcement said the move was mutually agreed upon ahead of Scott’s contract expiration in June 2022. The Pac-12 wants to be in a position to “negotiate and maximize the Conference’s next important long-term media rights agreement,” so Scott will remain in his position for the next six months to help his successor prepare. Pac-12 media rights deals with ESPN and FOX expire in the 2023-2024 season.
The meeting between the Pac-12 executive committee and Scott came earlier than expected because of the upcoming media rights negotiations. The Sports Business Journal said it is customary for Scott to meet with the committee about a year before his contract is set to expire.
Scott became commissioner of the then-Pacific-10 Conference in July 2009 and oversaw many of its firsts: Exactly two years after his hiring, the conference expanded to 12 schools with the additions of Colorado and Utah. The conference also launched Pac-12 Networks, agreed to equal revenue sharing among member universities for the first time in its history and added a conference football championship game under Scott’s leadership.
Scott’s final few years as Pac-12 commissioner garnered criticism, including issues with the conference’s spending habits and the inability for the networks to generate sufficient revenue to catch up with the other Power Five conferences. Pac-12 schools receive about $30 million compared to the $40 million-plus payouts in the SEC, according to information in tax returns obtained by the Los Angeles Times in late 2020.
Scott also took heat after another Los Angeles Times report revealed he fast-tracked bonuses to himself and other Pac-12 executives before announcing layoffs and furloughs for nearly 100 staff members due to the pandemic.
After working in sports for over 30 years, Scott said now is the right time to pursue other ventures.
“This moment, when college athletics are moving in a new direction and with the Conference soon commencing the next round of media negotiations, it seems the right time to make a change,” Scott said in the announcement.
Schill said he appreciated Scott’s efforts to help the conference grow, describing the television agreements with ESPN and FOX as the most lucrative in the country at one point.
“That said, the intercollegiate athletics marketplace doesn’t remain static and now is a good time to bring in a new leader who will help us develop our go-forward strategy,” Schill said.
In a statement provided to Annenberg Media, USC athletic director Mike Bohn said he appreciates Scott’s service as Pac-12 Commissioner and wishes him well moving forward. He also said he looks forward to the search for Scott’s replacement.
“We are moving toward a critical inflection point in the arc of college athletics and the Pac-12,” Bohn’s statement read. “As Larry stated, this seems like the right time for him and the conference to decide to make a change.”
Scott will be paid through the remainder of his existing contract.
This story was updated on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 12:34 p.m. to include a statement from USC athletic director Mike Bohn.