Pac-12 releases statement on decision to transition away from commissioner George Kliavkoff

Shortly after The San Jose Mercury News’ Jon Wilner broke news that the Pac-12 Conference is in the “process of separating” from commissioner George Kliavkoff, the Pac-12 itself released a statement on the matter.

In short, the league acknowledged the impending change.

“The Pac-12 Conference Board has given the departing 10 schools notice of a proposed leadership transition with an invitation to provide comment,” the conference said, via Wilner. “We expect to provide more information following a decision in the coming days.”

Kliavkoff’s tenure has been tumultuous to say the least.

He took over the Pac-12 commissioner post in 2021, succeeding former commissioner Larry Scott. He signed a five-year deal upon his arrival.

But things quickly hit the skids when conference realignment began to shake the foundation of college football. First, the Pac-12 lost USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, a move that drove a knife into the heart of the conference and portended further shifting down the road.

The real death blow for the conference came a year later, when realignment once again started spinning up. Oregon and Washington opted to leave for the Big Ten as well, prompting other schools to look to jump ship from a crumbling Pac-12.

Through it all, Kliavkoff had provided hope and optimism that the Pac-12 could reach a new television deal that would entice members to stay. That crumbled in front of him as the departures shook the league.

Following the Big Ten moves, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah all left at various points, headed to the Big 12.

That left the Pac-12 with just two teams: Oregon State and Washington State. They are left to pick up the pieces with the conference in tatters, but Kliavkoff will no longer be a part of helping orchestrate any transition as he is phased out of his current job.