Oregon State, Washington State sue Pac-12 over board makeup, voting rights

Oregon State and Washington State have filed a joint complaint Friday in hopes of determining the makeup of the Pac-12 board of directors following the recent wave of conference realignment has left them as the only two programs in the conference going forward.

This was done to “confirm the governance structure of the conference, gain access to business information, and protect the conference’s assets,” according to a joint statement released by both schools. They claim this is necessary to explore all options to perserve the conference going forward.

The team teams are also hoping to prevent the 10 departing programs from voting on any league measures via a restraining order. This was done to postpone a scheduled Sept. 13 board meeting, the schools said. They claim it is against Pac-12 code for the other 10 schools to vote on conference matters because they have announced their intentions to withdraw from the conference, which the Pac-12 bylines states should result in termination from the board.

“We owe it to our student-athletes, coaches, and fans to do everything in our power to protect the Pac-12 Conference and explore all future options,” Kirk Schulz, Washington State University president and Pac-12 Board of Directors chair, said in a statement. “WSU and OSU are working in lockstep to identify the best path forward. The future of the Pac-12 must be determined by the remaining members, not by those who are leaving.”

The schools filed their paperwork — both the injunction and the temporary restraining order — with the Whitman County Superior Court in Washington.

The Pac-12 Conference and commissioner George Kliavkoff are named as defendants.

“As the two remaining member institutions of the Pac-12, we are 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,” Oregon State president Jayathi Murthy in a statement. “We’ve heard the voices of constituents at home and from across the West about how much the Pac-12 and our regional rivalries mean to them. We are linking arms and fighting on their behalf.”