ESPN to Tall 12, Bowlsby: ‘No wrongful habits’

ESPN bolstered its response to a Tall 12 conference letter that accused the community of attempting to “destabilize” the league, writing in a letter of its own that ESPN has “engaged in no wrongful habits” and that “there’s nothing to ‘discontinue and desist.'”

The letter from Burke Magnus, ESPN president of programming and fresh assert restated ESPN’s build that the claims had no merit, and added: “Rather than a single vague allegation that ESPN has been ‘actively engaged in discussions with a minimal of 1 other’ unnamed conference, which ESPN disputes, your letter consists fully of unsubstantiated speculations and proper conclusions.”

Texas and Oklahoma urged the Tall 12 this week that they would no longer be renewing an settlement that binds them to the league and its eight other members till 2025. The grant of media rights runs concurrently with the Tall 12′s billion-greenback television contracts with ESPN and Fox.

On Tuesday, Texas and Oklahoma submitted a question to the SEC to be a part of that league in 2025. Thursday, the SEC voted to elongate an invite for membership. The universities’ boards of regents meet Friday to formally bag the invitation.

To affix the conference earlier than that could per chance per chance cost the colleges tens of thousands and thousands of dollars — except the Tall 12 were to crumble on yarn of one of the critical crucial different members left as successfully.

To boot to the SEC and American Athletic Convention rights, ESPN owns the rights to all ACC athletics and shares the rights to the Tall Ten and Pac-12 with Fox.

Tall 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby urged The Associated Press that Texas and Oklahoma were working on a transfer to the SEC for months, doing so whereas taking part in Tall 12 procedure meetings the build proprietary recordsdata used to be shared.

Bowlsby said that he suspects ESPN used to be enraged about the help of the scenes when Texas and Oklahoma were in discussions with the SEC but added that he has no proof of that. “This complete thing has been a complete articulation of deception,” he said.

Recordsdata from The Associated Press is included on this document.