Oregon State and Washington State regained control of the Pac-12 board and conference assets on Friday following a decision by the Washington Supreme Court.
The court declined to hear an appeal by the University of Washington and the Pac-12 and then lifted a temporary stay that weeks ago had an initial Whitman County (Wash.) Superior Court decision last month granting the two schools the Transferring control had destroyed the conference.
The Supreme Court's decision means OSU and WSU are back in control of the league pending a trial or depending on an agreement between the sides.
“We are pleased with today’s decision by the Washington Supreme Court,” OSU President Jayathi Murthy and WSU President Kirk Schulz said in a joint statement. “We look forward to continuing our work and finding a path for the conference that is in the best interest of student-athletes and our broader university communities.”
When the temporary suspension was implemented, the Pac-12 board could only make decisions with unanimous consent. OSU and WSU's football scheduling agreement with the Mountain West was unanimously approved, but last week the two schools blocked a planned distribution of millions of dollars to all member schools. OSU and WSU said in a joint statement earlier this week that they could not allow withdrawing schools to receive conference funds on the way out, especially without a plan for potential liabilities from various subsequent lawsuits.
The ten departing schools expressed concern that OSU and WSU could retain all 2023–24 conference revenue while still part of the league, adding that OSU and WSU would be happy to retain all future revenue after they leave next summer and could keep assets.
The original OSU and WSU case argued that the ten departing members forfeited their rights to board membership and conference decisions when they announced their intention to join the Big Ten, Big 12 or ACC. They also expressed concern that the ten withdrawing schools might vote to dissolve the conference and split assets.
Now OSU and WSU again have the power to make conference decisions themselves, although the judge said in the original lower court decision that OSU and WSU still must treat the 10 withdrawing schools “fairly and openly.”
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(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)