Washington State University President Kirk Schulz issued the following statement about the granting of a temporary restraining order on Sept. 11 affecting a scheduled meeting of the Pac‑12 “CEOs” set for Wednesday, Sept. 13.
We are very pleased with the court’s decision today. It has always been our view that the future of the Pac‑12 should be determined by the remaining members, not by those schools that are leaving the conference. This position is consistent with the action the Pac‑12 Board of Directors took when the first two schools announced their departure from the conference more than a year ago.
We remain firmly committed to exploring all options to protect the interests of our student-athletes, coaches, and fans. We look forward to the court putting the question of governance to rest so that Washington State University and Oregon State University can make reasonable and necessary decisions regarding the future of the Pac‑12 Conference.
WSU President Kirk Schulz
The temporary restraining order was sought by WSU and Oregon State University as part of a broader legal filing intended to clarify that they are the only voting members of the Pac‑12 Board of Directors because the other 10 programs have announced their upcoming departures to other athletic conferences. WSU and OSU contend, among other things, that allowing the departing members to continue voting on the operation of the Pac‑12 would violate the conference’s own bylaws and pose a conflict of interest.
