Pac-4 schools push aside George Kliavkoff, hire separate consultant
George Kliavkoff never fully earned the trust of Pac-12 presidents. That’s not a good thing, but it’s also not a final and damning verdict against Kliavkoff himself. The Pac-12 presidents, not Kliavkoff, rejected an ESPN offer which would have paid Pac-12 member schools $30 million per year and likely saved the conference. Kliavkoff did make mistakes, but he didn’t turn down ESPN’s deal.
Nevertheless, the Pac-4 schools left behind after the mass exodus of recent weeks is not consulting George Kliavkoff for advice. It seems pointless to even try. Instead, Stanford and California, along with Oregon State and Washington State, have reportedly hired sports executive and administrator Oliver Luck.
“Luck declined comment for this piece but I’m told by sources that he’s been hired to serve the Pac-4 schools in an advisory role. The four remaining members are in a dicey spot with limited options, but Luck’s involvement in the dilemma is interesting.
“Could Luck help save the Pac-4?
“It’s a long shot, but I sure feel better about the conference’s chance to survive with him around.”
There are several layers to this story, but the main one is that the Pac-4 schools are at least exploring the possibility of sticking together. It’s not a likely outcome, but the Pac-4 wants to see what is possible.
