Late on Wednesday night, the Pac-12 Conference announced that longtime commissioner Larry Scott would not be retained and would step down from his position come June 30, 2021.

Per the conference the decision between Scott and the presidents was mutual and he would not be seeking out a new contract. The current contract Scott is on is set to expire in June of 2022. The conference hopes to have a new commissioner in place just in time to start negotiations for long-term media rights agreements.

The search for a new commissioner will be led by University of Oregon President Michael Schill,  Kirk H. Schulz, Washington State University president and Ana Mari Cauce, president of the University of Washington.

“We appreciate Larry’s pioneering efforts in growing the conference by adding new competitive university programs and accelerating the Pac-12 to television network parity with the other conferences,” Schill said in a statement released last night. “At one point, our television agreement was the most lucrative in the nation and the debut of the Pac-12 Network helped deliver our championship brand to US and global markets on traditional and digital platforms. That said, the intercollegiate athletics marketplace doesn’t remain static, and now is a good time to bring in a new leader who will help us develop our go-forward strategy.”

Despite his shortcomings, Scott took the conference to new heights, adding Colorado and Utah in 2011. He has been commissioner of the conference for over 11-years. Along with the addition of the mountain schools, Scott also established the Pac-12 Networks as well as partnering with Fox Sports and ESPN to extend the conference’s national reach.

Per the release, President Schill also cited Scott’s success with improvements of graduation rates according to the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate. The Pac-12 member schools all had growth with their GSR, with some schools reaching a 100% graduation rate among certain sports.

“I was in pro sports for 20 years, I’ve now been in college athletics for more than 10 years, and now is a great time in my life to pursue other exciting opportunities. This moment, when college athletics are moving in a new direction and with the Conference soon commencing the next round of media negotiations, it seems the right time to make a change,” Scott said in a statement. “It is important that the conference be able to put in place the person who will negotiate and carry out that next agreement. Based on the recent robust valuation and marketplace interest we’ve received from traditional and nontraditional media organizations, I am confident the conference is well-positioned for continued success. I appreciate the support of the Pac-12 member institutions and very talented staff, with whom it has been my privilege to work.”

Even though he will no longer be the commissioner come July 1, Scott will be staying through the installation of a new commissioner to assist in the transition.

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