Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
George Kliavkoff's shoes have nothing to do with whether he should still be the commissioner of the Pac-12 Conference.
This column is not about footwear.
It's about common sense.
But as one conference source told me this week: "How tone-deaf does a guy have to be to wear team-issued shoes from one of the programs that left him for the Big Ten?"
Kliavkoff sported a pair of University of Washington Adidas sneakers at the College Football Playoff national title game earlier this month. I bumped into him on the field before kickoff against Michigan. We spoke for a moment. Kliavkoff insisted that he'd have worn Washington State or Oregon State footwear if those schools were playing.
Kliavkoff's appearance in Las Vegas for the game came as a surprise to some. That he remains employed as the conference commissioner a couple of weeks later is the bigger shock. OSU and WSU have control of the only two board seats. They blame Kliavkoff, among other factors, for the break-up of the 108-year-old conference.
He continues to hold meetings with staff and conference partners. But the new Pac-12 needs to move on, focus, and conduct business. The commissioner's presence is a hindrance to the vision of the Beavers, Cougars, and their plan to move forward.
My pal, Jon Wilner, calls Kliavkoff the "zombie commissioner." He's right. Kliavkoff, who makes $3.5 million a year, is shuffling around the conference, endlessly in the way. He'll eventually be terminated. Everyone knows it. Kliavkoff isn't the sole reason for the demise of the conference. There were a line of bad actors. But the relationship eroded, broke down, and blew past the point of no return months ago.
When I saw the UW sneakers on his feet, I wondered if Kliavkoff was daring OSU and WSU to fire him. After all, he flipped sides after Cal and Stanford bolted to the ACC, refusing to align himself with the Beavers and Cougars. He refused to recognize their authority and tried to frame himself as a neutral party. It was the ultimate betrayal as Oregon State and Washington State were the only schools willing to stand with Kliavkoff last August and sign a Grant of Rights.
Fire Kliavkoff with cause? Without? That's been a topic of conversation among conference presidents and athletic directors. Maybe it helps explain the holdup. Or maybe conference leaders simply punted the decision to 2024 because they know his termination comes with a bill that nobody is going to feel great about paying.
Cal's athletic department is upside down. UCLA has a cash flow problem. Arizona is facing a $224 million hole in its budget. I get it. Dollars are scarce. It's why the departing schools asked if they could defer their $6.5 million settlement payments and pay Oregon State and Washington State in two installments (2024 and 2025).
If the Beavers and Cougars want Kliavkoff gone today — and they should — it would cost an estimated $8.5 million. The 12 conference members agreed as part of the settlement to divide all liabilities equally. That's $708,333 per school.
It should get done — now.
The 10 departing members are busy playing out the basketball season but have already moved on. The Big Ten held athletic director meetings this month in Chicago. The ADs at UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington all attended. The schools departing to the ACC and Big 12 are meeting and making plans for 2024-25, too.
The next eight weeks is a critical time for the new-world "Pac-12." The football scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference is in place. A contract for other sports to play a WCC schedule is locked in. This next stretch, according to insiders at the two remaining schools, is about taking action and setting things up for the next two years. It's time to plot a path. And if Kliavkoff isn't part of the future, he becomes an obstacle.
For example:
- The Pac-12 Network may (or may not) shutter its doors, I'm told. The linear broadcast part of the operation doesn't appear to have a future. But the production arm, some believe, can continue to operate. As I spoke with sources about the future of that entity, one question came up: Why is Kliavkoff still around? The conference network isn't working alongside him. It's working around him.
- The Beavers and Cougars are in a holding pattern when it comes to the plan to rebuild the conference. They have a grace period of two years to get to a minimum of six members. Will the Pac-12 help with exit fees? Or is the plan some kind of a reverse merger with the Mountain West Conference? Or will it just wait to see if there is some buyer's remorse with some of the departing schools? Regardless, the Pac-12 needs to present a unified and dignified front. It can't do that with Kliavkoff sitting in the commissioner's seat.
- The lawsuit Florida State filed against the ACC raised eyebrows in Corvallis and Pullman. It's an unlikely win and could take months. But if the Seminoles are somehow successful, one source told me "it would mean there's no such thing as a Grant of Rights." That kind of chaos could set off another round of conference reshuffling. OSU and WSU might welcome it. But again, Kliavkoff has no role. The Pac-12 needs to open his seat and eventually fill it with a respected, competent point person with some fresh vision.
I suspect Kliavkoff would love to put this all behind him as well. It can't be easy to live in limbo, although at $291,666 a month in salary, I'm sure lots of people would like to try. He lives in Las Vegas and has years of business connections there. Kliavkoff will be fine. This column is about the Pac-12. It needs to focus on getting better footing and it can't do that with Kliavkoff in the way.
The Pac-12 presidents made a line of mistakes over the years. One of the big ones was repeated indecision and paralysis when it came to making important decisions. Campus leaders were too slow to act. Not just with the media-rights deal. With everything. Including the overcooked tenure of Kliavkoff's predecessor, Larry Scott. The presidents and chancellors kept Scott around too long, too. His act got stale. He collected more than $50 million along the way. It set up the demise of the conference.
Those who work in the world of academia will tell you paralysis by analysis is a problem. Presidents and chancellors often play "not to lose." They prefer the decisions to be bulletproof. No single set of fingerprints found. No blood on their loafers.
I'll never forget one AD telling me a story about his newly hired university president. That campus leader had never been in charge of a campus before. The anecdote was spot on.
The AD told me: "My president came back from the first summit with other presidents and said 'The one thing the other presidents told me is the quickest way to lose your job is a scandal in athletics.'"
Playing good defense doesn't just win championships.
It keeps the president employed.
It's why campus presidents love unanimous votes and plausible deniability more than just about anything else. There is no such thing as a split decision. It's always presented as a shutout. The vote on whether to terminate Kliavkoff should be a 2-0 decision with 10 nodding heads in the background.
It's a failed relationship.
One begging for an ending.
Read more of columnist John Canzano exclusively at JohnCanzano.com.
