You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.

A state court in Washington on Monday granted a temporary restraining order that precludes the Pacific-12 Conference’s board from meeting tomorrow to potentially make decisions about the league’s future.

The two universities that have not announced plans to leave the Pac-12, Oregon State and Washington State Universities, filed a legal complaint against the conference and its officials last Friday, saying they, and not the departing members, should decide the conference’s future because they are the “only remaining members with a legitimate interest in [its] survival and success,” said Jayathi Murthy, president of Oregon State.

Washington State’s president, Kirk Schulz, posted a statement on Facebook applauding the decision of the judge in Whitman County, Wash.

A crimson background with a WSU-pattern overlay with the following text in white lettering placed over it: “We are very pleased with the court’s decision today. It has always been our view that the future of the Pac-12 should be determined by the remaining members, not by those schools that are leaving the conference. This position is consistent with the action the Pac-12 Board of Directors took when the first two schools announced their departure from the conference more than a year ago.
We remain firmly committed to exploring all options to protect the interests of our student-athletes, coaches, and fans. We look forward to the court putting the question of governance to rest so that Washington State University and Oregon State University can make reasonable and necessary decisions regarding the future of the Pac-12 Conference. -President Kirk Schulz”