LAS VEGAS — I got a tip from a Pac-12 Conference insider a few years ago. The source directed me to do some reporting about where Commissioner Larry Scott was staying during the 2019 conference basketball tournaments.
Turns out Scott had booked himself the Sky Suites two-bedroom Sky Villa at ARIA Resort and Casino. It has 3,370 square feet of space and includes 24-hour butler service, a marble soaking tub, and a private pool.
Nightly rate: $7,500.
Scott was furious that I wrote about it. He called it a personal attack. But it wasn’t. It was an important and relevant piece. The commissioner spent lavishly and lived large. The conference was underfunding its universities and spending too much of the hard-earned revenue on private planes, hotel suites, and year-end parties.
The Pac-12 was on the path to destruction. That Scott was sipping Veuve Clicquot champagne and nibbling on chocolate-dipped strawberries was tone deaf.