JimmyBuff
Well-Known Member
One of the first items on the Big 12's agenda after ousting Dan Beebe as commissioner was agreeing to equally share revenue from the conference's major TV rights, a Pac-12 and Big Ten-like deal supplanting one that had rewarded schools based on appearances.
It was a "bittersweet" development for Beebe, who said in a wide-ranging interview with ESPN.com that it was something he attempted two years ago.
But the Nebraska Cornhuskers stood in the way, he said.
"It could have kept all 12 together,'' Beebe said Saturday, nearly three weeks after his contract was bought out by the Big 12 board of directors on Sept. 22. "I proposed it two years ago when Nebraska and Colorado were in the league as we prepared for our television negotiations we did last spring.''
Beebe said none of the Big 12's recent defections had to occur.
"I asked for them to consider it,'' Beebe said of the revenue-sharing pact. "Nebraska was one of the biggest objectors of equal revenue rights, and their president Harvey Perlman said that. We could have done this two years ago and none of this would have happened.''
Beebe said he was glad to see Oklahoma and Texas agree to the six-year, grant-of-rights pact, adopted last week by the Big 12 board of directors.
"It's bittersweet with what's going on,'' Beebe said. "I want this conference to make it. I really, truly enjoyed and working with so many of the people and coaches and administrators. But it's bitter in that these are policies that I recommended quite a while ago and that (his predecessor) Kevin Weiberg recommended, too. If it was needed to have a new voice to do it then that's fine. The conference is bigger than Dan Beebe. But on a personal level it's hard.''
Beebe said the move that affected the Big 12 that made the most sense in the past year was Colorado going to the Pac-12.
"Colorado has more alumni in the Pac-10 footprint and has always got students from the West,'' Beebe said.
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...s-nebraska-cornhuskers-balked-revenue-sharing