USC AD Pat Haden Fined $25K for Sideline Incident

((ht: cbssports.com))

So maybe someone will act against USC Athletic Director Pat Haden after he inexplicably showed up on the sideline of the USC/Stanford game Saturday and began arguing with the referees.

The incident was apparently prompted by his coach Steve Sarkasian who had Haden "texted" to come down to the field. Which is to say the least a bit odd.

Monday afternoon, Pac-12 Commisioner Larry Scott announced Haden (USC) will be fined $25K for the issue. Haden also "voluntarily" banned himself from the sidelines for at least 2-games.

Huh?

Anyway, all parties say this will have no impact on Haden's standing with the CFB Playoff committee nor should it. We, for now will have to buy the story given that Haden was responding to his coach's request. And the coach says he shouldn't have done it.

But it begs the question: Why would you (Sarkasian) need an AD to fight a fight that you picked and should fight yourself?

Just wondering'...

DEVELOPING: Rush Resigns From Pac-12

Not that this is any kind of a surprise...

Supervisor of Officials Ed Rush has resigned after the allegations of having a discussion with his own officials about giving a cash bonus or a trip to Mexico for ringing up Arizona head coach Sean Miller...

The subsequent technical foul was party to a 2-point loss to UCLA during the conference tourney... after the alleged discussion between Rush and his officials...

Miller was hot afterwards...
((HT: ESPN))


The Pac-12 released the standard amount of prepared statements:

In accepting Rush’s resignation, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said, “I want to express my appreciation for the great contribution Ed made to basketball officiating for the Conference during his tenure, particularly in the area of training and the cultivation of new officiating talent. All of us at the Conference thank him for his years of hard work, and we wish him well.”

"I would like to thank the Pac-12 for giving me the opportunity to lead a group of officials who are working so hard to make the Pac-12 the best officiated conference in college basketball,” said Rush. “My first and highest concerns have always been the integrity of the game of basketball and the honor of the craft of officiating. While I am proud of what we have accomplished, my decision to resign reflects my strong desire to see the Pac-12 officiating program continue to grow and thrive," concluded Rush.

Here was Scott addressing the issue before the ending...
((HT: Pac-12 Network))

Pac-12 Has A Multi-Platform Idea, Charles Davis Has Ideas

((HT: PositivePub.com/VoiceAmericaTV))

Something called "The Pac-12 Networks" now exists. There will be a national channel along with six regional offerings: Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Southern California, Arizona and Mountain.

Commish Larry Scott announced the idea at the press junket in New York City and referred to it as "a truly unique, one-of-a-kind initiative to create exposure that's unprecedented."

The Pac-12 partnered with cable companies Comcast, Cox, Time Warner and Bright House to distribute the networks but wholly owns them.

Once the channels launch a year from now, they will broadcast about 850 sporting events a year -- 350 nationally and 500 regionally. Subscribers will also be able to watch games on mobile devices.

Every football and men's basketball game will be televised nationally. The conference already had a 12-year TV contract worth about $3 billion with Fox and ESPN, which will air many of the most high-profile games.

The networks will initially be available to almost 40 million homes... which sounds incredibly ambitious...

Here's Charles Davis with a preview of the season to come...