"The Pac-12 gave away more than $90 million in rent over the last 11 years. Conference commissioner George Kliavkoff deserves credit for putting a stop to it."
Yes, GK deserves monster credit for all the steps he has made in little under a year. However, I think *you* deserve a big portion of praise in this also, John. It was your investigative journalism that pulled the curtain back on the reprehensible mess that was Larry Scott.
The $696,000/month rent makes me want to gag every time I think of it...especially compared to the SEC being housed in Birmingham in a 20-some year old brick building for $318K per *year*. His helicopters and private planes and luxury suites in Vegas are nauseating. However, the piece de resistance, of which I was unaware until this column... giving away employees' Christmas bonus Rose Bowl tickets to the parents of his kids soccer team... well, I veer from total disgust to white-hot anger over that.
Thank the gods we are out of this miasma and to a very great extent, you deserve the credit for that. By bringing pressure on the university presidents and chancellors through your dogged refusal to quit exposing what was going on, you kept the heat on Scott and more importantly on the university presidents who ultimately were responsible for this . Conference commissioner George Kliavkoff deserves credit for putting a stop to it, but you deserve credit for starting the fire that took it all down.
Wow, I knew the PAC 12 was being mismanaged, but not to this mind blowing extent! Hopefully the new commissioner continues reinventing the conference so it’s on a level playing field with the other power five conferences.
Mar 30, 2022·edited Mar 30, 2022Liked by John Canzano
GK continues to impress. I have been WFH since Omicron landed in New Zealand. I love it. Am actually more productive, saving time and money, getting more sleep and walking the dog three times a day.
George seems like the perfect choice for commissioner for the Pac 12. Forward thinking, sensible and focused on the people he is responsible for. God Larry Scott took a long time to get rid of!!!
Forward thinking is a good thing, a very un-Larry Scott thing. Abandon the rent nonsense and work from home--genius. Next thing you know, Kliavkoff might actually talk to coaches and athletes.
John… As a lifelong Pac-12 fan, I am offended and disgusted beyond words. That Scott’s behavior is not actually criminal is pathetic. At the very least, there should be civil action that can be taken against this guy. You say the 12 presidents and chancellors weren’t paying all that much attention, but the AD’s were and should have alerted the powers that be. I am going to go out on a big limb and suggest that most who read your column are honest people who look to do the right thing. We pay our taxes, take care of our families and look to sports for some enjoyment. To see a sociopathic narcissist get away with fleecing our conference with no consequences is totally unacceptable. In the Pac-12 we have 12 excellent law schools that teach business litigation. We should put them to work collectively to find ways to right the financial wrongs this man has brought about. He must NOT go “Scott-Free”!
I never forget the fact that the spent more in rent over the period than the building cost when it sold a few years back. It was just incredible financial mismanagement.
The disposition of the current team to common sense decision-making is reassuring, after the former regime missed so many layups on that front for years.
John, you deserve huge props for digging into the dysfunctional Scott regime in a way and with a breadth of detail no one else did.
"The Pac-12 gave away more than $90 million in rent over the last 11 years. Conference commissioner George Kliavkoff deserves credit for putting a stop to it."
Yes, GK deserves monster credit for all the steps he has made in little under a year. However, I think *you* deserve a big portion of praise in this also, John. It was your investigative journalism that pulled the curtain back on the reprehensible mess that was Larry Scott.
The $696,000/month rent makes me want to gag every time I think of it...especially compared to the SEC being housed in Birmingham in a 20-some year old brick building for $318K per *year*. His helicopters and private planes and luxury suites in Vegas are nauseating. However, the piece de resistance, of which I was unaware until this column... giving away employees' Christmas bonus Rose Bowl tickets to the parents of his kids soccer team... well, I veer from total disgust to white-hot anger over that.
Thank the gods we are out of this miasma and to a very great extent, you deserve the credit for that. By bringing pressure on the university presidents and chancellors through your dogged refusal to quit exposing what was going on, you kept the heat on Scott and more importantly on the university presidents who ultimately were responsible for this . Conference commissioner George Kliavkoff deserves credit for putting a stop to it, but you deserve credit for starting the fire that took it all down.
Long live a healthy 4th Estate.
Good move Pac12. Now everyone/schools use the savings wisely.
If this is the new PAC 12 then I like it. A lot.
Great column, John.
The power of the written word (previous Canzano columns)
About time, I’m liking this new commissioner 👍
Wow, I knew the PAC 12 was being mismanaged, but not to this mind blowing extent! Hopefully the new commissioner continues reinventing the conference so it’s on a level playing field with the other power five conferences.
The word 'enlightened' comes to mind.
Shame on all previous commissioners for not acting sooner!
GK continues to impress. I have been WFH since Omicron landed in New Zealand. I love it. Am actually more productive, saving time and money, getting more sleep and walking the dog three times a day.
George seems like the perfect choice for commissioner for the Pac 12. Forward thinking, sensible and focused on the people he is responsible for. God Larry Scott took a long time to get rid of!!!
Forward thinking is a good thing, a very un-Larry Scott thing. Abandon the rent nonsense and work from home--genius. Next thing you know, Kliavkoff might actually talk to coaches and athletes.
I hope someone is thinking about and memorializing - for future hiring committees - how we came to hire Scott, vs. how we came to hire Kliavkoff.
Just as I hope the same analysis happened in-house in Ducksville... about how my alma mater came to hire Willie Taggart.
John… As a lifelong Pac-12 fan, I am offended and disgusted beyond words. That Scott’s behavior is not actually criminal is pathetic. At the very least, there should be civil action that can be taken against this guy. You say the 12 presidents and chancellors weren’t paying all that much attention, but the AD’s were and should have alerted the powers that be. I am going to go out on a big limb and suggest that most who read your column are honest people who look to do the right thing. We pay our taxes, take care of our families and look to sports for some enjoyment. To see a sociopathic narcissist get away with fleecing our conference with no consequences is totally unacceptable. In the Pac-12 we have 12 excellent law schools that teach business litigation. We should put them to work collectively to find ways to right the financial wrongs this man has brought about. He must NOT go “Scott-Free”!
But where will I send all my complaints about the officiating?
I never forget the fact that the spent more in rent over the period than the building cost when it sold a few years back. It was just incredible financial mismanagement.
The disposition of the current team to common sense decision-making is reassuring, after the former regime missed so many layups on that front for years.