Pac-12, Big 12 ADs Get Emotional About Recent Conference Shakeups

The fallout continues from the recent dissolution of the Pac-12 Conference, with athletic directors from schools involved sharing their raw emotions about the situation. 

Washington State athletic director Pat Chun remained positive during a news conference Wednesday, saying he still believe WSU's best days are ahead. However, in the shadow the Pac-12's collapse, with just Washington State, Oregon State and Cal remaining, Chun didn't mince words on how he thinks things were handled. 

"This conference has mismanaged itself on a number of levels and when you have failed leadership, this is what happens," Chun said, adding that a book could be written on the Pac-12's failed leadership all the way back to its inception. 

"The last few weeks are the culmination of failed leadership, failed implementation... it was a bunch of decisions and failed strategies that put us in this place," Chun said, according to KXLY. "The ones that lose out are the student-athletes."

Chun described the conversation he had with University of Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen about UW leaving the conference as "brief." 

"It's a decision made by a school that you've partnered with on many levels... the two universities have worked in tandem on so many things," he said. "The decision by one school in our state negatively impacts a school on our other side of the state and that's what happened last Friday."

Over in the Big 12, which just added Utah, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado, Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson found himself apologizing for commenting that he would not travel to the campus of West Virginia University. 

"Those comments were said in jest and taken out of context," Anderson said on a local Arizona radio show, according to SI.com. "They were clumsy comments from me that I sincerely regret because I offended some people and no offense was intended, and for that, I apologize, I sincerely do."

Anderson noted that he's known WVU vice president and director of athletics Wren Baker for some time and reached out to Baker to apologize personally. 

"We had a chance to talk, and I explained the context and he graciously accepted my apology. and certainly, said he would pass it on to their president Gordon Gee whom I know," said Anderson.

"I don't' like cold weather, and it really gets cold there in the wintertime and that's what i was jesting with (Arizona State University) president (Michael) Crow about," he said. 

Anderson said he and Baker actually shared their excitement about the new conference setup. 

"I don't' not like cold weather, and it really gets cold there in the wintertime and that's what i was jesting with (Arizona State University) President (Michael) Crow about," he said.