Independent panel to look at Pac-12 officiating

In response to the resignation of Pac-12 officiating coordinator Ed Rush after a report that said he targeted Arizona coach Sean Miller during the Pac-12 basketball tournament, the conference announced Tuesday it had ordered an indepen- dent review of the incident.

The review is expected not only to focus on the officiating in the tournament but also examine the officiating program as a whole. The decision to launch it was made by Pac-12 CEO group chairman Edward J. Ray and Commissioner Larry Scott.

“It’s about making sure we understand all the facts that went on around the (Pac-12) tournament,” Scott told USA TODAY Sports. “We had immediately upon hearing the complaint instituted an internal review. Our head of enforcement (Ron Barker) talked to all of the officials he could, including the officials who worked that (UCLA-Arizona) game.”

Scott said news media reports painted a different picture than what Barker found in his investigation. “There’s nothing more important than the integrity of our officiating,” Scott said.

The review will be made by experts selected by the Pac-12 executive committee and is expected to be completed in time for the CEO group’s meeting in June. Scott said the conference’s board of directors — the presidents of its member universities — would decide whether the report would be made public.

Rush resigned April 4, after a report that he told Pac-12 officials on the Thursday of the tournament that he would give $5,000 or a trip to Cancun, Mexico, if Miller was given a technical foul or ejected.

“I think I said at the time and I still feel the statements (Rush) had made and how he made his point were inappropriate and unacceptable,” Scott said. “I was very, very concerned about what I heard. Having said that, the internal report we received did not show there was a serious offer made.”