Pac-12 problems run much deeper than officiating fiasco
The night he learned of a bombshell Yahoo report that would jeopardize the integrity of Pac-12 football officiating, commissioner Larry Scott began a series of email exchanges with campus officials that reveal a conference in crisis mode and a commissioner attempting to defuse the greatest controversy of his tenure.
The correspondences, obtained via public records request to a cross-section of universities, provide details on the flawed process that led to general counsel Woodie Dixon influencing a replay decision during the Washington State-usc game Sept. 21.
Additionally, the emails illuminate the internal reaction to the controversy, show a deep concern about the media narrative and shed light on Scott’s plans to gain control of the situation.
“While this is the first time we have encountered this concern and criticism,” Scott wrote to the athletic directors the night the story broke, “and other conferences also involve conference staff in their replay review processes to varying degrees, this misperception and the resulting article is regrettable.”
The heart of the material obtained from five schools — several have yet to respond to the public records request, which was made in October — is a series of three emails from Scott that were sent over a 40-hour span and trace the evolution of the crisis.
Additional emails lend context on a variety of fronts.
Dixon wasn’t the only untrained official involved in the replay review process at the command center in San Francisco on the night a call in the Washington State-usc game was overturned.
A video administrator, Mike Ortiz, also participated, according to an email from Scott.
“Our Command Center review and collaboration process … includes includes on-site instant replay officials, as well as the instant replay supervisor and staff in the command center, including when present Woodie Dixon, (coordinator of officials) David Coleman and Mike Ortiz,’’ Scott wrote.
“… So while it is true that Woodie, David and Mike weigh in from time to time to provide assistance and perspective on reviews, the Instant Replay Supervisor is the ultimate decision maker in the command center.”
The next day, during public remarks at a basketball media event, Scott announced that “conference leadership responsible for football (Dixon) and responsible for officiating (Coleman) … will have no involvement in the real-time decision making behind replay review.”
Scott made no mention of Ortiz. Asked for clarification of Ortiz’s role, spokesperson Andrew Walker explained via email that Ortiz didn’t “weigh in” with “perspective” on whether calls should be upheld or overturned.
Walker said the conference determined that Ortiz never influenced a replay decision. Ortiz continues to lend assistance to replay supervisor Bill Richardson.
CU’S George concerned
Upon learning of Dixon’s involvement, Colorado athletic director Rick George wrote to the school’s chancellor, Phil Distefano:
“Phil: This is not good. I would love to talk to you about this at your convenience. I have heard from Multiple ADS already this am. Rick.”
When reached for comment, George declined to elaborate. His email is the best indication of the reaction from athletic directors, who have avoided comment on an individual basis. (Collectively, the athletic directors issued a statement of support for changes to the process.)
Distefano is the new head of the Pac-12 board of directors, having replaced former USC president Max Nikias this fall.
After the initial uproar subsided, Scott sent an update to the presidents/chancellors in which he expressed concern about the media coverage:
“While the officiating matter appears to be under control, many stories … emerging from the basketball media day suggest a more complex, negative narrative that requires all of our attention. This narrative includes the fact that six of our schools have been mentioned in the ongoing federal trial on corruption in college basketball …”
Oregon State president Ed Ray responded to the group:
“We have no interest in letting others define us. We do have so much to be proud of … I have seen no adverse impact of sportswriter nastiness among supporters of the university. We should talk about seizing the communications initiative in the sports world.”
“Thanks for your note and sharing with the group. We’ve got some CEOS new to this environment with angry sports blogger mob, and I’m sure some are more sensitive and reactionary to it. So your not (sic) was very helpful indeed.”
Emails obtained from Washington State recently do not include correspondences from coach Mike Leach, who blistered Dixon and Scott over the officiating in the WSU-USC game in a series of text messages published by Yahoo.
However, the documents include president Kirk Schulz’s response to Scott’s comments about the negative media narrative:
“I do think that as Presidents we could do more to assist with the sports media around these types of situations.”
The talking points
Schulz also received a list of talking points from the conference, in case he was asked about the officiating scandal during an upcoming interview with ESPN about his appointment to the College Football Playoff’s board of managers.
The conference responded with two talking points:
1) While this incident is of course both serious and unfortunate, I’m pleased that the Conference has both recognized the mistake in our replay command center procedures and taken an immediate action step to address the issue and to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Eliminating the involvement of conference officials in the decision making behind replay reviews in real-time is the right action, as is the broader review that the Conference plans to undertake.
2) I know that the #1 priority for the Conference and all of us is student athlete health and safety, along with the integrity of our officiating. Today’s announcement by the Commissioner will ensure that continues to be the case.
The first of the three emails from Scott to conference stakeholders was sent at 9:08 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10 — the night the Yahoo story broke. “Dear Pac-12 Athletic Directors, “I wanted to give you a heads up about an article being written by Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports that could be published as soon as tomorrow.
“The subject … is our replay review process that took place following a hit to USC quarterback J.T. Daniels, which resulted in a late hit penalty in the third quarter of the September 21 Washington State at USC football game. Based on our conversations with Pete Thamel and a standard replay review report filed by the instadium replay review official that was leaked to Pete Thamel, it is our understanding that the article will criticize our Command Center review and collaboration process, and in particular take issue with the involvement of “third party” Conference staff. This criticism will likely include an allegation that Woodie Dixon directed the command center Instant Replay Supervisor to not add a targeting call in this instance.
“Our Command Center review and collaboration process does not include any ‘third parties’, but includes on-site instant replay officials, as well as the instant replay supervisor and staff in the command center, including when present Woodie Dixon, David Coleman and Mike Ortiz. Discussion with those individuals as part of the review and collaboration process in sometimes unique and critical situations provides depth, perspective and further discussion that we believe gives us the best possibility to make consistent and correct decisions.
“So while it is true that Woodie, David and Mike weigh in from time to time to provide assistance and perspective on reviews, the Instant Replay Supervisor is the ultimate decision maker in the command center. We regret that in this instance it was interpreted by officials as Woodie directing their decision, which was not his intent.”
We reached out to executives at the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC and asked specifically about the identity and background of those involved in the replay review process. None of the conferences permit untrained officials to participate in discussions about the interpretation of rules or the accuracy of calls on the field.
The following morning, at 9:32 a.m., Scott sent another email to the athletic directors and coaches:
“… The in-depth reporting makes it clear that we made a mistake in our procedures that we need to acknowledge and address immediately. In this regard, following my opening remarks at our Pac-12 men’s basketball media day later this morning, I will clearly share with the media in attendance the mistake we made in our Command Center procedures in mixing administrative oversight with real-time replay review calls made by our expert officials on the field, in-stadium and in the Command Center.”
Approximately an hour later, at the annual basketball media event at Pac-12 headquarters, Scott acknowledged the mistake and announced the removal of Dixon and Coleman from the replay review process.
During a question-and-answer session, Scott was asked if he was concerned that replay decisions in other games had been influenced by untrained officials. “I am not,” he said.
The following day — approximately 36 hours after the Yahoo story broke and 24 hours after his public remarks — Scott wrote to the presidents/chancellors.
The lengthy note begins with an update on the officiating crisis, then casts an eye to the larger narrative of a conference in crisis.
“While I don’t expect criticism of officiating decisions to go away in the short term, the second story on this matter written by Yahoo and many others journalists suggests that our immediate action and admission of the mistake worked effectively to address this matter. While the officiating matter appears to be under control, many stories … emerging from basketball media day suggest a more complex, negative narrative that requires all of our attention.
“This narrative includes the fact that six of our schools have been mentioned in the ongoing federal trial on corruption in college basketball. Writers also are using the opportunity to connect the football officiating issue and the college basketball trial to other macro topics like the Directtv situation and our institutions’ poor performances in football and men’s basketball postseason in order to conclude that our Conference is in turmoil. While individual schools are addressing issues in the trial and Directtv remains unresolved, I do not believe any of us would agree these matters are somehow connected, nor that we are in turmoil.”