A conference that will effectively be out of business five months from now isn't done doing business. And on Tuesday, that meant firing the man who oversaw its demise.
The Pac-12 is in the process of "separating" from commissioner George Kliavkoff, Jon Wilner of the Pac-12 Hotline reported Tuesday. The conference later confirmed the news with a statement:
“The Pac-12 Conference Board has given the departing 10 schools notice of a proposed leadership transition with an invitation to provide comment. We expect to provide more information following a decision in the coming days.”
Kliavkoff inherited a conference in despair upon his May 13, 2021 hiring, due to mismanagement by former commissioner Larry Scott and the presidents who hired and supported him until the bitter end.
However, Kliavkoff did not do enough to save the 80-year-old conference. USC and UCLA announced their impending departures in the summer of 2022, and the remaining 10 schools were clearly on the brink of departure in the late summer of 2023.
Without its Los Angeles bell cows, Kliavkoff sought a TV deal worth $50 million per school per year, which no TV network was willing to offer. Facing a put-up or shut-up ultimatum, Kliavkoff presented a deal worth less than the Big 12's contract without Texas and Oklahoma that would've essentially bet the conference's future on selling Apple TV+ subscriptions.
Colorado was already gone by that point, and within days Oregon and Washington had joined USC and UCLA in the B1G, while Utah, Arizona and Arizona State united with CU in joining the Big 12.
The Pac-12 still exists as a legal entity, as Oregon State and Washington State tussle with their soon-to-be former conference mates on what to do with the conference's assets and its rights to NCAA Tournament and College Football Playoff money.
But Kliavkoff will not be a part of those negotiations.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.