The Pac-12 was one of the four power conferences to vote in favor of banning satellite camps, but that doesn’t mean everybody within the Pac-12 was in favor of the decision. Washington State head coach Mike Leach had no problem sharing his displeasure over the decision that was made official earlier in the day.“It appears that the selfish interests of a few schools and conferences prevailed over the best interests of future potential student-athletes,” Leach said in a text message to
“It appears that the selfish interests of a few schools and conferences prevailed over the best interests of future potential student-athletes,” Leach said in a text message to The Seattle Times on Friday. “The mission of universities and athletic programs should be to provide future student-athletes with exposure to opportunities, not to limit them. It appears to me that some universities and conferences are willing to sacrifice the interests of potential student-athletes for no better reasons than to selfishly monopolize their recruiting bases.
“I will be fascinated to hear any legitimate reasoning behind this ruling. We need to rethink this if we are actually what we say we are.”
Leach hits the nail on the head with his assessment of this ruling. The SEC and ACC have a great interest in protecting the fertile recruiting grounds of the south. The Pac-12 could feasibly want to lock down the exposure to talent on the west coast, while the Big 12 should want to dominate the recruiting opportunities in the southwest as much as possible.
The shutting down of satellite camps is being viewed as a big win for the SEC, and perhaps the ACC, but Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com reported the Big 12 and Pac-12 also voted in favor of shutting down the practice. The Big Ten was the lone dissenting power conference.
Source told @ESPN conferences that voted against satellite camps: ACC, Big 12, SEC, Pac-12, MWC, Sun Belt. In favor: B1G, AAC, C-USA, MAC
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) April 8, 2016