Pac-12 assembles task force to dig into basketball bribery scandal
In response to the bribery and corruption case roiling college basketball, the Pac-12 has formed a task force to offer reforms to protect athletes and “address certain systemic issues” in college athletics.
“We have to use this moment to take a closer look and more careful look at what’s going on in the sport of college basketball and our collegiate athletic programs more generally and make sure that they’re being operated in compliance, not just with NCAA rules, but with the law,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said Thursday at the conference’s annual men’s basketball media day in San Francisco.
Two Pac-12 assistant coaches, USC’s Tony Bland and Arizona’s Book Richardson, were among 10 men charged last month in U.S. District Court in New York in relation to the investigation.
UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero and Utah athletic director Chris Hill are initial members of the task force, along with longtime basketball coach Mike Montgomery, Fox Sports analyst Charles Davis and former NCAA executive Tom Jernstedt.
Five to seven additional members are expected to be named soon.
The task force’s mandate will cover identifying key issues “that pose a threat to college athletics,” policy suggestions, systemic reform recommendations and applying these ideas to recruiting in sports beyond basketball.
The announcement follows Wednesday’s news that the NCAA is forming a 14-member committee on college basketball chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Montgomery was also named to the panel that will examine the sport in light of the scandal.
Times staff writer Ben Bolch contributed to this report.
Twitter: @nathanfenno
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