AAC’s Mike Aresco Denies Collusion to Add Big 12 Groups amid Oklahoma, Texas Exits
AP List/Stew Milne, File
American Athletic Convention commissioner Mike Aresco has denied any collusion in making an are attempting to add Big 12 groups within the wake of Texas and Oklahoma announcing their intentions to go for the SEC.
Talking to newshounds for the length of a digital match on Wednesday, Aresco acknowledged the AAC “has never strategically aligned or plotted with ESPN to persuade convention buildings.”
Aresco’s commentary map within the wake of Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby accusing ESPN of encouraging diversified conferences to poach packages in articulate to expedite Texas and Oklahoma’s switch to the SEC.
“I actually salvage absolute easy assignment that they (ESPN) salvage been obsessed with manipulating diversified conferences to head after our people,” Bowlsby suggested The Associated Press (h/t ESPN) closing week.
Talking to Dennis Dodd and David Cobb of CBS Sports actions, Bowlsby accused ESPN of encouraging the AAC to pursue three to 5 of the leisure Big 12 packages with the promise of giving the convention “future tv proceeds.”
The Big 12 additionally despatched a close-and-desist letter to ESPN, signed by Bowlsby, alleging that the community “has taken definite actions which would be supposed to no longer completely ruin the Big 12 Convention nonetheless to cease in monetary advantages for ESPN.”
Max Olson @max_olson
Right here is the close & desist letter the Big 12 despatched to ESPN.
Bob Bowlsby alleges ESPN is actively working with and provocative diversified conferences to are attempting and poach Big 12 people. pic.twitter.com/fb224elCtd
ESPN despatched a letter serve to the Big 12, announcing the accusations had been made “completely without advantage.”
Texas and Oklahoma authorized formal invites from the SEC on July 30. The switch will settle invent on July 1, 2025, after the Big 12 media rights agreements for each and every packages expire.
The upcoming lack of Texas and Oklahoma has left the Big 12’s future greatly up within the air.
Bowlsby suggested Texas lawmakers at a hearing on Monday that the convention’s future tv contracts might watch a 50 percent decrease without the two powerhouse packages.
The AAC, which became once established in July 2013 within the wake of the Big East dissolving, currently has 11 paunchy-time people.