Kevin Warren left the Big Ten with an unfinished TV deal and owing $65 million to Fox and NB
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/37693310/big-ten-new-commissioner-television-deal-coaches-uncertainty
The highlights:
Nearly three months before the season kicks off and those TV deals begin, the Big Ten does not have completed longform contracts, which include the fine print details. Instead, Petitti is engaged in significant "horse trading," according to multiple sources, to get the NBC primetime deal finished and figure out what the network calls "outstanding issues" in order to uphold as much value as possible.
Recently, schools have found out:
They are going to have to pay back nearly $40 million to Fox because, according to sources, Warren delivered NBC the Big Ten football title game in 2026 without the full authority to do so,
They are going to have to pay $25 million total for a deal to pay Fox back for lost 2020 football game inventory
Athletic departments and coaches around the Big Ten say they were surprised November night games would be part of the deal. They weren't asked for permission to play them prior to the deal or informed of the change ahead of the deal, according to sources. At the same time, NBC wasn't aware until well after the initial contract was signed this summer that these big-brand schools had historic tolerances that were part of the prior television arrangements and would resist being available.
He left just in time. This is not a big deal money-wise, but it is not a good look for Kevin.
This explains why the B1G hired a TV exec to replace him. They knew someone needed to clean up his mess.
Sue Kevin Warren for everything he has for failure to perform duties.
Typical spartan, just a party-goer. Doesn't read the fine print or finish the job.
Go BLUE.
He was obviously under the influence of the tunnel.
....bet he can't spell either
Just to be clear - Kevin Warren isn't a Spartan. Though - his son did transfer in to Mel's squad through the portal a few years ago.
Personally, I think Warren should have told his son - "Yes, you can play anywhere that will take you - BUT, don't you think it would be a bit smarter if you didn't go to a B1G school - after all, I oversee athletics in the conference and a conflict of interest might be perceived."
The issue wasn't that Warren had a son that transferred to play football for MSU while he was commissioner. The issue was that Warren did not recuse himself when making any decisions that involved MSU's football program which was a conflict of interest and should have been avoided or forbidden.
It's becoming clearer in hindsight that Warren was an incompetent commissioner who got unbelievably lucky that USC and UCLA wanted to join.
But did they want to join, or did they just want out of the PAC12 and seized an opportunity?
Exactly. UCLA and USC had only one landing spot in conference realignment armageddon--the Big Ten. UCLA and USC needed the Big Ten more than the other way around. UCLA, in particular, really needs the money. USC is trying to stay competitive.
What the fuck? That is terrible, incompetent commissionering. What a mess. HighBeta -- crush Kevin Warren's nuts too while you're at it!
If he's *any* way responsible for the damn mess in my kid's place? Guy can run, but he can't hide - for long,
As an aside? I have zero idea how you can let the details of conference income get neglected like that. I can understand the pandemic-related adjustments that have to be accounted for, but some of the other issues needed to be handled much better.
Sounds like Kevin Warren did a video game "I Agree to the Terms". No need to read that, I WANT TO PLAY THE GAME! Can just envision him being annoyed that they made him scroll to the bottom before he was able to click "I Agree".
Once again South Park is right
Interesting article in a few ways:
- ESPN is the ones reporting this --- they, of course, got shut out by Warren and the B1G in the latest TV deal. So, ESPN may have their own agenda in publishing this.
- That said, they did find a number of ADs and coaches willing to go on the record in the article, including Warde Manuel. So there are definitely people with beefs that they want to air publicly.
- The November night games struck me as weird when the contracts were announced. Now, we see there's a lot of dissatisfaction about them. I wouldn't be surprised if the night games go away (outside of California --- 4:30 PT November kicks would be welcomed by both USC & UCLA. USC fans in particular wish all their games started then) post Daylight Savings in 2024 and beyond. But for 2023 they will remain. OSU @ MSU and PSU @ MSU will apparently be night games in November 2023.
- I now would expect to see Michigan @ Maryland be a night game (it's the week in between the 2 aforementioned games). That would theoretically appease NBC. NBC would get one 2023 November night game with each of U-M, OSU and PSU ---- and surely part of the reason they paid the big $$$ is to get those schools on their network in Prime Time.
Good summation of a very interesting article.
Warren appears to have screwed up pretty spectacularly, particularly in his negotiations with NBC. Promising NBC the 2026 championship game when he didn't have legal authority to do so is a stunningly bad error, as is promising NBC night games without the approval of the major schools.
I do agree that ESPN has an agenda and is likely blowing this out of proportion. For example, all of this amounts to $5 million per school, which is a drop in the bucket, but the article histrionically treats that missing $5 million like an existential threat to the athletics departments' continued solvency.
right on the points. Nov. night game won't be a problem beyond 2023 as they will be played in LA. Warren certainly screwed up certain things but I don't see Fox pushing it too hard as their best interest is to maintain a good partnership with BIG.
For November weeks 3 and 4 yes. But assuming the week 4 gams is USC-UCLA, (or possibly ND versus USC if that is still going to continue), who is going to be the unlucky team from the east that has to fly out to CA for the game on week 3, starting Rivalry Week with a red-eye flight back home from LA?
You know NBC would pressure that game (and probably the second week as well) to include the high-profile: Michigan/OSU/PSU teams, Michigan could easily end up with two night games in November.
Worse, is this one of those contracts where the networks can dictate 6-12 days out?
It's still a problem for NBC and the road Big Ten teams that have to make that trip. NBC will have limited inventory if they are only limited to USC and UCLA games in November. The USC-UCLA or ND-USC games at night could become a tradition for NBC if it is played the same weekend as Michigan-OSU, but what do you do the week before rivalry weekend? What Midwest Big Ten team is going to want to play a night game on the West Coast the week before their rivalry game, especially if it is against a highly ranked team like USC? NBC is going to want a competitive game too.
If NBC has the first choice that week, you might be right about the Michigan-Maryland. The one thing you left out in your analysis though is that NBC does not have the first choice of games (or possibly even the second) in some weeks. If FOX has the rights to that week, FOX may want the Michigan-Maryland game or at least the right to make the decision down the road.
One other part to the ESPN angle on this story is that ESPN will be renegotiating with the SEC at some point, and I wouldn't be surprised if they use this in negotiating when their time comes. The COVID clawback was an interesting inclusion in the story. The SEC might have no other logical partner to deal with other than ESPN which could hamper their negotiating power unless they bluff that they will go with streaming video service.
This is what happens when unqualified people get jobs.
I truly regret that I have but 1 upvote to give this.
Just wished he had fucked up hard enough to get quiet fired before he completely ruined college football by killing the Pac 12. 2nd worst college commissioner of all time and that's only because the old Pac 12 guy actually killed the league.
BTW - thanks for sharing. That was a well-written article and gave some good background about what happened behind the curtain. The B1G teams plus USC/ULCA will still be flush with cash - so no crying from my perspective. I can only imagine that Fox Noon tries to keep the best game and our schedule in November with at PSU (likely noon) and at Ohio already set at noon. So yes, agree we may be the offering for at Maryland - but the weather there in mid Nov is nothing like what I experienced last year for Illinois at UM.
Wilson looks a guy who was playing B1G off for an NFL job, whereas Delany, who is as popular on this site as an STD, was never going to leave. I have seen it before where someone is already getting ready for another job (not yet announced) and they are playing out the string in their current role until the job offer is formally made at the new place. No surprise then that the details were not finalized nor that he didn't tell people about the Nov night games thing. This is still a damn good deal. And when Wilson is fired some years down the road (after the last Bears draft, they didn't really make the best moves after trading down from 1) he won't care because another NFL team will take a chance on him.
Maybe part of the deal in 2024 and beyond is the premier eastern at USC/UCLA game is put in Game 10 or 11 of the season to ensure if won't be frigid.
Warren was a dickhole
FIFY
what?
so don't tell me, lawyers didn't vet this out beforehand.... what!
Just take the $65M from Michigan State. They've already shown they have that kind of money to burn.
MSU has a task force to collect pop cans to pay this guy.
Collect more cans and bottles - give that fine coach a raise - and, an extension.
With all due respect, I applaud Coach Mel and couldn't be happier with what he's doing in EL.
Right now, the Spartans '24 Recruiting class is ranked in the 60's - a bit lower than Florida Atlantic and between UNLV and North Texas. That's a fantastic position.
Keep up the good work. Don't change a thing.
A guy from the UM AD vetted this contract shortly after reading Schemmy’s Twitter post called, “other than the horrific violence and such, Chattel slavery wasn’t so bad for Black people, in hindsight.”
The $65M thing is ultimately not that big a deal considering how big the new contract is. But the November night games are definitely irritating. I hope we can get out of that.
Why? It’s not like they’ll put OSU as a night game. If it’s UM/Maryland at night are we terrified of going to college park in November?
If it’s UM/Maryland at night are we terrified of going to college park in November
No. But, even if the weather is OK, it's going to suck for the players to basically start Hate Week one night's sleep and several hours of sleep behind the Buckeyes.
Once that precedent has been set - taking the decision on night games out of the hands of the schools themselves - that will not be undone in any future contracts, consequences for players and fans be damned.
The 25 mil for 2020 isn't his fault...the rest is BS!
Oh, so this is the "quiet quitting" phenomenon folks have been talking about.
This was nothing but a hit piece from ESPN to the B1G because they will not be airing their games after next season…expect more of this in the future. Literally the $65M is less than $5 million per school on a $7B contract. Thames makes it seem like calamity will ensue because of it. Drop in the bucket and the conference will be great!
I have a bucket. I would love for them to drop $5M in it. This would help considerably with the direction we received from XM's boat buying drinking thread. It would even cover the fuel and maintenance for the foreseeable future.
5 mil would pay for a couple of drug dealer power boats. And, after a short while, the drug dealer power boats would pay for themselves really. Not that I would do anything nefarious with them. Nope.
I think the B1G schools (especially Michigan) oughta adjust and do a little SEC-style scheduling:
have another conference game in September, and put one of their easiest non-conference games in November (especially for Game #11), ensuring it is a) a home game; b) not too taxing; c) a good day for Senior Day or Homecoming; d) less attractive to NBC as the night game.
I'd much rather have Michigan play against a B1G opponent (at home or on the road) at night in September rather than in November
Bama played Austin Peay November 19 last year. BIG should start doing the equivalent with MAC, etc.
76 - And, this season - Bama has a game against the Mocs of Chattanooga on November 18th.
If the SEC gets to protected rivalries, perhaps Bama will request an "FCS opponent" in late November - as one of their protected series. Oh, there is a difference - all of those FCS opponents will have to play in Tuscaloosa.
Sometimes people are just in charge because they're in charge. Warren was touted as a big picture money guy and clearly that was more smoke than fire. The fact he's now running the Chicago Bears does make me a happy, given I'm a Lions fan. At least I'll know this mediocre exec will likely continue his incompetence running a division rival.
Losing money on a media deal?
Warren is the perfect fit for the Chicago Bears. Challenging.. raising the bar.. of incompetence.
When he was hired, my thought was that he didn't have the authority and confidence to walk into a room of peers and own it. I feel the same way about Warde Manual, except I think Warde is a competent administrator who's peers trust him, have confidence in him, yet walk over him. With Warren, I never thought his peers paid him any attention or considered whatever he had to say (which was virtually nothing on the national stage).
As much as we dislike Dilbert's boss, when he spoke, everyone listened.
Let's see what happy median this Pettiti guy can bring...
Who's going to tell USC & UCLA that they have a night game in November in Madison? Or Minnesota. Or Michigan, or that other Michigan school, or Penn St. Heck, even Nebraska, Northwestern, Illinois, ohio can be brutal if you're from southern cal.
Yeah. Isn't it beautiful?
When the story first broke about this new TV deal last year, those were some of items I was surprised about and wanted to see how it looked before speculating on next year's schedule like some people had been doing in some other threads. The NBC November night games and FOX giving up as much as reported like Championship Games were surprising, and it turns out it was a surprise to a lot of people in authority as well.
The previous contract had a lot haggling over night games and sharing the burden across the conference, and I was surprised that none of this was happening this time around. It turns out it's a lot easier to make a contract when you don't inform the two parties about what is in it. If this is how Kevin Warren conducts business, Bears fans may be in for a long couple years.