Bet you didn’t see this twist coming, did you?
As you’ve no doubt heard, and much to the chagrin of Jim Harbaugh, the Big Ten and numerous other non-SEC head coaches across the country, the NCAA announced last week that they have barred the controversial practice of satellite camps. While effective immediately, the ruling is not officially official, at least until the NCAA’s Board of Governors meet next week.
Earlier this week, NCAA executive Oliver Luck revealed that he expects the rule to be revisited, a rule that was approved by the NCAA Div. I council by a 10-5 margin. Those voting for the ban included the SEC, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, Mountain West and Sun Belt; those against the ban were the Big Ten, AAC, Conference USA and the MAC.
The votes of the Power Five Conferences count double, which brings us to the twist:New twist in satellite camp ban. Pac-12 commish Larry Scott says their rep, Dan Guerrero, “did not vote the way he was supposed to vote.”
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) April 20, 2016
Larry Scott confirmed that 11 of the 12 Pac-12 schools did not support a satellite camp ban. Would not say the 12th, but, now you can guess.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) April 20, 2016
Pac-12’s Larry Scott said UCLA AD Dan Guerrero was supposed to vote will of the conference backing status quo regarding satellite camps.
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) April 20, 2016
Dan Guerrero is, of course, the athletic director at UCLA. Why, even as a member is not technically required, by rule, to vote the way his league leans, he voted for a ban on satellite camps when the overwhelming majority of his conference was against a ban is a great unknown -- although that discrepancy was already noticed by at least one Pac-12 coach who blistered the NCAA for its decision to ban the camps.
“We’re trying to uncover this, I’m sure most of the Pac-12 is trying to uncover this,” Washington State head coach Mike Leach said during an interview with Rich Eisen late last week. “The Pac-12 poll (on satellite camps), 11 in favor of satellite camps, one abstention. Now how that unfolds into a vote against satellite camps, I can’t imagine. It’s unfathomable.”
If Guerrero had voted the way his commissioner said he was supposed to, that would’ve pushed the vote to eight in favor of a ban, seven against. That, though, wouldn’t have changed anything as the ban still would’ve still been approved, still been put into effect immediately, and still need final approval from the Board of Governors.
That said, it’s not a good look for anyone involved, Guerrero in particular. Why Guerrero went rogue will be a burning question that continues to linger -- and likely grow -- until the man responsible for it provides some sort of public explanation.