they're gonna take care of ziggy first, then come for you, mkay? everyone is self-interested. of course they lack the clout and viability to do what aggy is doing. that's why they're doing it this way. they have every right to protect their self-interest as any other university. tough t*tties if aggy can't have their celebration for a couple more days. baylor is doing what they feel is the best course of action for them in order to ensure that they don't lose that money. i'm guessing (and you've even admitted this could be the plan) that they want to get some sort of assurances from ou that they're not leaving and to help that, get assurances from the sec that they won't poach any more schools.
They haven't; not from a legal standpoint - not that we know of. A&M has stated that they followed exit strategy protocol. Given that the Big12 released them from the contract, it stands to reason they did indeed legally follow the protocol. Exactly; they are contractually obligated to the Big12... which granted A&M their freedom when A&M took the proper legal steps and asked for it. The Big12 commissioner even sent a nice, "We won't sue" letter to go along with it. It's certainly slippery. But in absence of any wrongdoing, and with no damages occuring as a result of their actions, I can't see the justification of holding A&M against its will. Baylor, et al, can stomp their feet all they want - but they are not going to be able to stop this. Delay it? Sure. Make it difficult? Yes. But at what net benefit to their program? A&M will be in the SEC.
http://www.newson6.com/story/15419503/report-byu-to-join-big-12-if-ou-remains-in-conference Report: BYU To Join Big 12 If OU Remains In Conference PROVO, Utah -- According to BYU-Football.com, recently independent Brigham Young Cougars would accept an invitation and join the Big 12 when and if Oklahoma will pledge its commitment to the conference. BYU had long been rumored to be one of the frontrunners for a spot in the conference left by Texas A&M's eventual departure, as well as the possibility of the conference dissolving. Reports surfaced Tuesday that the University of Arkansas had been contacted about joining the Big 12, but no progress was made. The move to potentially add the Cougars comes the day following the SEC announcing that they would be adding Texas A&M, pending the remaining Big 12 schools pledging not to pursue legal action. However, in the same release it was announced that at least one Big 12 school was unable to let the Aggies leave and had threatened to sue both the conference and commissioner Mike Slive. Later Wednesday, it was learned that eight current Big 12 schools would not agree The Cougars competed in the Mountain West Conference from 1999-2010, before officially becoming a Division 1-A Independent in July of 2011. While competing in the Western Athletic Conference for more than 30 years, BYU claimed one National Title in 1984 under head coach LaVell Edwards. According to the report, the move could be announced as early as Saturday
the net benefit would be to make sure they have their ducks in a row before this is all official. if the sec wants to make this official, they can move forward without requiring the waivers. done deal. i seriously doubt baylor will move to file a frivolous lawsuit.
I'd like to actually read the contracts before going too far into the technicalities. I think it's fine to simply acknowledge that Big 12 schools have a colorable claim at this point. You asked what net benefit to BU since A&M will be in the SEC....the delay in all this is helping, I promise. Beyond that, BU nor any of the others ultimately aren't interested in whether A&M hits the SEC...I think they will, no question. The question is: what does the leverage of the claim mean for the schools and what do they get in return for a release. I don't typically advise clients to sign releases without getting something in return.
btw, i'm so ****ing dizzy from arguing in circles for 165 posts or whatever in this thread, that i'll give it a rest. i wish a&m the best in the sec and i sincerely hope the big 9 stays together instead of moving towards this super conference bull****. i have good friends who are aggies and t-shirt aggies alike, so i'm truly just ****ing around here.
That's the end game here. The 64 team conglomeration of mega conferences breaks off and gives the NCAA the finger. The other 60 or so teams are left to form their own organization. And voila. We've now essentially got TWO division ones... this is just finishing what the BCS started all those years ago. The good news is, the NCAA is no longer involved. The bad news is... well, the only bad news is if your team isn't sitting at the table of 64. The ugly is the NFL getting involved in college athletics. I can see a partnership/farm system thing coming around once the NCAA is in the crapper.
http://www.themercury.com/K-StateSports/article.aspx?articleId=7292bf8278854a2482b82de9b5d967d6 Small Big 12 schools have leverage Ned Seaton nseaton@themercury.com It's long been understood that Texas and Oklahoma held the power in the Big 12 Conference. But Thursday, all the leverage appeared to rest with those considered the weaker players: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State. What became a remarkable flipping of the dynamic Wednesday started when Baylor President Kenneth Starr made it clear that his school would not give up its right to sue the SEC if that conference were to poach Texas A&M from the Big 12. Iowa State, Kansas and K-State all verbally backed that position, a source familiar with the Big 12 told The Mercury Thursday. In subsequent discussions, the only school that verbally said it would waive its right to sue the SEC was Oklahoma, the source said. As a result, it appears today that the Big 12 will remain together — in the way some unhappy husbands and wives stay in a marriage "for the sake of the kids," the source said. Texas A&M still wants to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, and OklahomaPresident David Boren is still intrigued by the idea of affiliating with prestigious academic institutions in the Pac-12, including Stanford and Cal, the source said. "But the issue is that they've got to have somewhere to go," the source said, "and when those other schools (in the Big 12) refuse to release their right to sue, every other conference is going to say, 'Whoa, we're not going to mess with that.'" The Big 12 initially sent a letter to the SEC waiving the conference's right to sue if Texas A&M were to defect. But that was only on behalf of the conference itself, not on behalf of the individual schools that make it up. And the belief within the conference, the source said, was that the remaining Big 12 schools would let A&M leave but then go find another member to add to the conference, such as BYU. That all changed late last week when OU's Boren said his school was in contact with the Pac-12 and would "not be a wallflower" in the process of conference realignment. Suddenly, the other schools realized that there would likely be a significant reduction in the television rights fees they would get from the conference. The Big 12 within the past year signed a 13-year television deal with Fox, worth $1.2 billion; that contract has a provision that allows the network to renegotiate the fees if the conference membership changes. Replacing A&M with BYU, for instance, might be close to a wash, the source said. The source said A&M is thought to be worth 20 to 25 percent of the value of that contract, whereas OU is 30 to 35 percent, and Texas 45 to 50 percent. If that's the case, the loss of A&M could cost the remaining members of the conference approximately $300 million, and that's what the SEC figured it was risking in a lawsuit if the remaining Big 12 schools sued. The Big 12's TV deal with Fox was signed by conference Commissioner Dan Beebe, not by the individual schools themselves. One way this current impasse could be fixed, the source said, would be to allow A&M to leave by having the other schools waive their rights to sue on the condition that all of the other schools individually signed the TV contract with Fox and the Big 12. That way, if any of the remaining schools wanted to leave, they would have to leave behind their TV rights — which none of them would ever do because of the money involved. Texas wants to remain in the Big 12, but would go independent if the rest of the league fell apart, the source said. Since A&M's announcement of its desire to leave, the decision-maker has really been Oklahoma. But because of the position taken by Baylor (and supported by everybody else), "the issue is that Oklahoma has got to have somewhere to go, and the Pac-12 is going to see what happened with the SEC and they're not going to want to take that risk, either." So at this stage, the source said, "if those four or five schools stay strong and lock arms together, they'll be in a position to keep this group together." That might sound like a dysfunctional relationship, but the source noted that the universities involved are getting more money than ever because of the TV deal with Fox, and they'll be getting even more when the deal with ABC/ESPN renews in two years. And if they don't like the terms of the arrangement, then "people should have considered that before they agreed to the new television contract" with Fox a year ago. What's happened is that egos — particularly those of the Texas A&M regents — got inflamed in sports-obsessed Texas because of the creation of the Longhorn Network. Even if the other schools eventually do leave the league, the source said the remaining four of five schools — including K-State — have some significant leverage. In the first place, any school leaving the league is subject to paying in the range of $20 million to $30 million in penalties. So those remaining schools could potentially divvy up $100 million just in penalties. Plus the Big 12 will continue to have a BCS bowl bid and automatic NCAA bids in various sports. So the remaining schools could attract others — such as the football-playing members of the Big East — to join a new "Big 12." Still, the source said, the best option for the schools continues to be the current Big 12, or close to it. So that's what those schools are working toward. And they have Starr — the guy who prosecuted Bill Clinton — on their side. "I'm telling you, he's relentless," the source said of Starr. And that appears to have changed the entire balance of power, at least for the moment.
I think most people would want a guy like Ken Starr on their team. Dude knows the legal process..you gotta give him that.
Yes, yes - of course. Again, I don't begrudge Baylor - there is A LOT of money on the table. But that money is on the table, A&M or no A&M. So what's the end game? If it's to scare OU into staying (very, highly likely) - then can you blame A&M for being upset that they're being used as a pawn in game they no longer have anything to do with?
I'll give him that he's not afraid to play hardball, as far as knowing the legal process - it's basically just common sense to know that allowing Texas A&M to start off the Superconference Armageddon realignment crap carnival, which will leave Baylor out in the cold, needs to be stopped ASAP from their perspective, and that signing a piece of paper that says you won't do anything about it if they do is not in the best interest of your client.
because you don't get to wash your hands of the game until it's completely over. they wouldn't be used as a pawn in this game had they not made the first move. and i don't think ou really wants to go anywhere. i think they started making waves more as a "hey, don't forget about us" type thing. just my rectum-based opinion.
