Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff speaks during the Pac-12 Conference NCAA college football Media Day Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
George Kliavkoff’s catastrophic 973-day tenure atop the Pac-12 ended late last week with a multi-million settlement, zero signs of regret and no issuance of public comment.
The radio silence in the final chapter of his tenure stands in stark contrast to the grandiose posturing in the initial phase of the Pac-12’s media rights negotiations, when Kliavkoff boasted of “shopping” for Big 12 schools and eventually “catching” the Big Ten in annual revenue.
Since the presidents rejected his proposed deal with Apple and the conference collapsed before his eyes on Aug. 4, Kliavkoff has remained silent.
On Friday, following his last day in office, the Hotline reached out to Kliavkoff (via text message) and asked if he would offer any parting comments on his tenure, the failed media negotiations, the departure of 10 schools or the fragile future facing Washington State and Oregon State.
He did not respond and, to the best of our knowledge, has not offered any comments to other media outlets.
Granted, the negotiated settlement with the conference likely includes a non-disclosure agreement that precludes Kliavkoff from discussing any specifics. Information that might exonerate him would assuredly disparage others.
But Kliavkoff also has refrained over the past six months from offering any public expression of remorse or accountability. That makes perfect sense because, according to multiple sources who have spoken to Kliavkoff recently, he takes no responsibility for the demise of the 109-year-old conference.
Instead, sources said, Kliavkoff blames the collapse entirely on the presidents’ poor leadership, the difficult circumstances he inherited and the schools’ refusal to accept the deal placed before them.
In other words: Kliavkoff believes he did his job. If the schools weren’t satisfied with Apple’s offer for a streaming-only deal that distributed $25 million annually, with the potential for more if subscription targets were reached, well, that’s their problem, not his.
“It’s everyone else’s fault,” a source said of Kliavkoff’s perspective.
To a certain degree, that’s accurate. The rupture was years in the making, and responsibility starts with the presidents who have ultimate authority over the conference. Scott’s strategic mistakes played a central role, as well.
But any suggestion that Kliavkoff bears no responsibility is, of course, ludicrous.
He was in charge for 25 months prior to the moment of collapse and lost 10 of the 12 schools.
He was arguably the most ineffective commissioner in the modern era of college athletics, particularly for a major football-playing conference.
He failed to grasp the basics of realignment — that urgency is required.
And above all, Kliavkoff either didn’t bother or was unable to read the room: After the failed promise of the Pac-12 Networks, the last thing the presidents and athletic directors wanted was an all-streaming media rights deal with revenue tied to reaching subscription tiers.
They wanted linear exposure and revenue certainty. He delivered neither.
Will Kliavkoff ever offer words of sympathy or regret to Washington State and Oregon State athletes, coaches, officials and fans?
That seems unlikely.
Will he ever provide missing details into the failed negotiations if, in fact, there are any details missing from the public record?
Maybe Kliavkoff will tell his side in a documentary after his non-disclosure agreement ends — and for which he likely will be compensated handsomely.
For now, he exits the scene in silence, with ash and ruin in his wake.
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Originally published at Jon Wilner