Oregon State University and Washington State University are suing to maintain their governance of the Pac-12 athletic conference.
OSU and WSU will soon be the only remaining members of the Pac-12 since ten other schools have announced they’re leaving for other conferences after this school year.
The universities say they’re taking legal action so they can continue to explore their options for preserving the Pac-12.
They’re also seeking a restraining order to prevent the Pac-12 commissioner and departing members from holding a meeting next week. In the legal memorandum, OSU and WSU say the meeting would be a violation of the Pac-12 bylaws and “if that purported ‘board meeting’ proceeds, it would do irreparable damage to plaintiffs and the Pac-12.”
In a statement, OSU president Jayathi Murthy said they’re “stepping forward with urgency to safeguard the integrity of the conference and preserve its legacy on behalf of student-athletes, fans, and the conference itself.”
The filing was made in Whitman County Superior Court in Washington State.
The ten departing members of the Pac-12 are UCLA, USC, the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of Utah, the University of Colorado, Stanford University, and the University of California-Berkeley.
OSU and WSU have asked for a preliminary hearing on Monday, September 11th in advance of the Wednesday Pac-12 meeting.
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