Getty Image
Pac-12 commissioner is George Kliavkoff is not mad. In fact, he’s so not mad that he can’t seem to figure out why people are asking him if he’s mad.
Kliavkoff is disappointed about losing USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, but that’s only because he’s concerned about what it means for those schools’ student athletes. It’s totally only that.
Pac-12 Commissioner Goes On The Attack
In an interview with The Athletic, Kliavkoff recently explained that he believes that USC and UCLA are “already regretting” their decision to join the Big Ten.
“It’s clear that UCLA and USC made a decision for short-term financial gain at the expense of their student-athletes,” Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff told The Athletic on Friday. “It’s 100 percent clear to me, it’s really unfortunate, and I think they are already regretting it, given the pushback that they’ve gotten from almost every corner of their communities. I think they will regret it more as time goes on.”
Kliavkoff’s comments aren’t particularly surprising. He made a similar one in response to Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark declaring his conference “open for business.”
But USC and UCLA may not agree, however. UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond claimed the school made the move to aid a “significant debt” problem
Kliavkoff wasn’t done there. He continued to take shots at the universities for their treatment of student athletes.
“The surprising part, to me, is the Pac-12 has a mission that is related to the health and well-being of its student-athletes, and this is a decision that, in my opinion, goes directly against the health and well-being of student-athletes. That’s the surprise for me.”
Both USC and UCLA are set to join the Big Ten in 2024. It will be interesting to see if these comments help move that date forward at all.