Jay Hartzell explains timeline of Texas leaving Big 12

On Monday, University of Texas president Jay Hartzell spoke before the Texas legislature, regarding Texas leaving the Big 12 conference. In his remarks he detailed the timeline of events that led to the decision, explaining who was involved.

How Texas leaving the Big 12 happened

Talks between Texas and the SEC began in spring, Hartzell stated, per The Athletic’s Chris Vannini. Hartzell went on to explain that the SEC were not the ones to initiate talks, that he was the one who got everything in motion. A large point of anger directed at the origin of this decision came from Big 12 conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby. Bowlsby was seated behind Hartzell as he spoke before the Texas Senate.

Bowlsby and the Big 12 sent a “cease and desist” letter to ESPN, claiming they were manipulating programs into leaving the conference. Also making remarks today, he confirmed that they would not be escalating matters beyond the official letter sent. Hartzell made a statement clarifying that Texas had zero conversations with ESPN during the conference move, and that they were not an influence. Texas leaving the Big 12 appears to be a decision made on their own.

Additionally, Hartzell was asked if the plan was always moving to the SEC or if they had contacted other conferences. Hartzell confirmed they had discussed other conferences within their own school but did not contact anyone but the SEC. The Texas Senate’s Select Committee on the Future of College Sports in Texas ended the session after six hours of comments made by those involved, and no immediate government actions can be expected.

Chris Vannini of The Athletic details that the next full legislative session in the Texas Senate is scheduled for 2023, and delays seem likely with the Texas democrat representatives currently out of state. In the meantime, the only way for anybody to interfere with Texas’ plans to join the SEC is if the governor himself calls for a special session. As Vannini points out, this seems unlikely given the governor is a Texas alum.

What this means for the Big 12

The entire reason for the Aug. 2 hearing was to discuss the impact of Texas leaving the Big 12 and what will happen to the other schools. When discussing this impact, Bowlsby went on to express his lack of trust that Texas would remain in the conference until 2025 as they have pledged.

Multiple Texas senators expressed concerns about the nature of how a deal was struck with the SEC. Senator Charles Perry expressed his dislike for how Texas and Oklahoma were not up front with their plans. Losing the two major schools is a big enough problem for the Big 12, leaving on short notice while the Big 12’s future is in doubt has drawn additional ire.

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