Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby accused ESPN of encouraging other conferences to pick apart the league so Texas and Oklahoma can move to the Southeastern Conference more quickly for ESPN’s financial benefit.
“I have absolute certainty that they (ESPN) have been involved in manipulating other conferences to go after our members,” Big 12 Commissioner Bowlsby told The Associated Press on Wednesday after sending a cease-and-desist letter to the network.
ESPN, which owns the SEC Network, signed a $3 billion deal with the SEC last year that will give the network the broadcast rights to all the conference’s football games starting in 2024.