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No, it gets even better. They blatantly leave out Louisville in that statement. Seriously?! Louisville could not have been more obvious about trying to bail for the Big 12. Well... except for UCONN and the ACC. In any case, I hope WVU loses this lawsuit and gets slapped with some major fines. It may turn out that sitting back and watching schools panic is strong move by UC officials. With all the money that could potentially come back to the conference (TCU - $5mill, WVU - $5mill + ?), there may be a nice little payday for the remaining schools. -
So, we're to believe that all those other schools (UC included) worked behind the scenes to get the heck out of the BE, while good ol' WVU, in good faith, sat idly, hoping against hope that the conference would stick together. Yes, folks, the Mountaineers ... and only the Mountaineers ... are the stalwarts that the rest of the BE needed. They were the only ones with clean hands. Wonderful, pious WVU!
(Yes, this is dripping with sarcasm! Nay, flowing.)Leave a comment:
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"the lawsuit alleges Cincinnati, Rutgers and UConn engaged in discussions with the ACC, SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten"
Bad, bad form for WVU to air that in public. I want to see UC beat them down that much harder Nov 12.
Couple "what?" conferences in that list though. ACC, yeah, Rutgers and UConn want in there badly. Big12, yeah, I'm sure every BE school spoke with them. But Big10? Doesn't make much sense for Rutgers or UConn, which leaves UC, and there is no way in he11 that O$U would let that happen.
And SEC? I don't see how that's a good fit for any of these three schools.
Have to say, at this point I'd be very surprised if the BE were somewhat salvaged by Boise, Houston, Air Force, or any other quality football program. How could you put any faith in the BE's leadership if you were those schools?Leave a comment:
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WVU Files Lawsuit Against the Big East
Can't say I disagree that Marinatto is a terrible Commish.
West Virginia filed a civil lawsuit against the Big East on Monday in an attempt to exit the conference in 2012 to join the Big 12, squarely blaming commissioner John Marinatto for the instability of the conference.
In the 14-page suit filed in Monongalia County Circuit Court in West Virginia, the university claims it should not be held to the 27-month waiting period required of all departing teams. West Virginia alleges, "The Big East Conference and its commissioner, through their actions, breached their contract to WVU and nullified and voided the bylaws."
The reason the Big East breached its contract? West Virginia alleges that nothing was done to protect the remaining six football playing schools once Pitt, Syracuse and TCU left. That created such instability, that the lawsuit alleges Cincinnati, Rutgers and UConn engaged in discussions with the ACC, SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten.
West Virginia alleges Marinatto failed to take proactive measures to "maintain, let alone enhance the quality of competition in the league" and the school had no choice but to accept an invitation to the Big 12.
"We are disappointed that West Virginia has adopted this strategy and cannot imagine why it believes it does not have to respect and honor the bylaws it agreed to as a member of the Big East," Marinatto said in a statement Monday. "Based on an initial review of the lawsuit, it is clear that the allegations and claims in it are false and inaccurate.
"Certainly there is nothing in it that would justify WVU's not fulfilling its obligations. To put it simply, a contract is a contract."
West Virginia also believes the Big East will lose its position as an automatic BCS-qualifying conference.
West Virginia also alleges, "The denigration of the Big East Conference is a direct and proximate result of ineffective leadership and breach of fiduciary duties to the football schools by the Big East Conference and its commissioner."
The school is asking for a court injunction to declare the current 27-month waiting period void or count the $2.5 million payment the conference already received from the school as a way to waive the waiting period. West Virginia also is seeking damages for the breach of contract.
Marinatto has said West Virginia is not eligible to join the Big 12 until July 1, 2014.
"Once we have reviewed the filing, we will explore all our legal options and will act vigorously to ensure that WVU lives up to all its obligations to our conference," Marinatto said. "In the meantime, this lawsuit will not interfere in any way with our ongoing efforts to strengthen and expand the Big East."
WVU spokesman John Bolt declined to elaborate, saying "the lawsuit speaks for itself."
The league has been adamant about holding Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia to the waiting period.
When the Big 12 announced it had accepted West Virginia as a member last week, both the conference and school said the Mountaineers would be full members in 2012.
The lawsuit is the latest development in a flurry of conference realignment activity this fall. Syracuse and Pittsburgh withdrew from the Big East in September to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.
TCU accepted an invitation to join the Big East in September but switched to the Big 12 in October and was not required to honor the 27-month notice requirement.
"That's basically because they never started with the Big East," Big East spokesman Chuck Sullivan said of the Horned Frogs. "Because they had not formally joined the conference, which would have been July 1, 2012, they were subject only to the financial component."
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