Texas Tech football coach Tommy Tuberville was issued a public reprimand by Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe for comments he made regarding the conference.
During an interview with Rivals Radio on July 2, Tuberville said, “I don’t think this conference will last long because there is too much disparity between all the teams.”
The day following Tuberville’s interview, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe issued the reprimand, saying comments made by the Red Raiders coach “were unfortunate, and contrary to the very strong feelings of unity expressed publicly and privately by the Big 12 Board of Directors and athletic directors.”
That unity Beebe speaks of was essentially forced upon every school that decided to stay in the conference after Big 12 linchpin Texas was offered an opportunity to join the Pac-10.
Beebe said the reprimand centered around the rules that apparently forbid coaches from speaking the truth.
“In deciding to reprimand Coach Tuberville, I took into account that this is a first-time offense and that he has committed to adhere to the rules and contribute to strengthen the conference.
If not for these factors, a more significant penalty would be assessed, and will be if there are any future violations.”
Beebe said Tuberville “admitted” his comments didn’t reflect his true feelings regarding the Big 12.
Chances are, Beebe forced Tuberville to “admit” his “true feelings” after threatening him with sanctions far worse than a public reprimand.
What other reason could explain Tuberville’s swift reversal?
The fact is, Tuberville spoke the truth during the interview with Rivals.
The likelihood of a future disparity in revenue sharing exists now that the Longhorns will be allowed to establish their own TV network.
Having this luxury would enable Texas to generate an additional revenue stream of between $20-$25 million annually.
The other nine schools in the restructured Big 12 will continue sharing revenue with Texas after Beebe renegotiates the conference’s television deals with Fox Sports Net, ESPN and ABC.
The member institutions will also share an estimated $35 to $40 million that Colorado and Nebraska will pay the Big 12 for departing the conference.
The Big 12′s ability to remain intact runs directly through Texas athletic director Deloss Dodds’ office, as does the lions share of the monies the conference will generate.
What can be taken from Tommy Tuberville’s reprimand?
Honesty may always be the best policy for the rest of us, but not for anyone speaking the truth regarding the Big 12 conference.
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