Texas A&M denies sending letter of withdrawal to Big 12
Texas A&M has shown desire to leave the Big 12 Conference, but the university has denied submitting a letter of withdrawal, a university spokesman said in a statement Tuesday.
The statement is, in part, a response to a New York Times article published online Monday night claiming A&M president R. Bowen Loftin sent a letter to Missouri chancellor and Big 12 board chairman Brady Deaton announcing the school's intention to leave the conference. The spokesman would not comment further on the article.
This likely means the school is still in the process of formulating a withdrawal plan, since A&M received a letter from Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe outlining the withdrawal procedure should the Aggies decide to leave the conference.
To join the Southeastern Conference, the Aggies will need to meet a couple of requirements. The school will first need to pay an exit fee somewhere around $15 million. Then, nine of the 12 SEC schools would have to vote in favor of A&M’s entry. The latter is likely to happen, since the SEC should be eager to expand its brand into Texas markets.
As for the Big 12, the consequences of A&M's departure would be substantial. Financial losses could be significant considering Fox Sports has the option to nullify its 13-year, $1 billion deal with the conference it signed in April. Aware of these issues, the Big 12 has formed a special committee to discuss its future, specifically regarding the number of schools it would want owning membership.
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2:01 p.m., Aug. 31, 2011
Nick M said:
The idea of "super conferences" seems to be getting more and more prevalent. Unfortunately for the Big 12 they just may get left in the dust as a result.