NFF president, former Big 12 commissioner Steven Hatchell on Big Ten: 'You just can't have a rush to judgment'

According to multiple reports, the Big Ten is expected to hear back from Michigan regarding their notice of discipline by the end of the day Wednesday.

There are no expectations that Tony Petitti, in his first college football season as the league’s commissioner, will make a move on Wednesday. Michigan received formal notification on Monday from the Big Ten of potential disciplinary action.

National Football Foundation CEO Steven J. Hatchell has not been in the same exact situation as Petitti, however, he was the first commissioner of the Big 12, helping negotiate the conference’s first TV rights deal. He also served in the same role for the Metro Athletic Conference from 1983 to 1987, which was after he worked as an associate commissioner in the Big Eight for six years.

Hatchell has sat in plenty of rooms trying to listen to school presidents, athletic directors and coaches. If he has any words of advice for Petitti – don’t rush judgment on making a decision.

“There should not be a rush to judgment,” Hatchell told On3 on Wednesday. “If this were happening in February or March, relative to football, there wouldn’t be the push. We’re right in the middle of the football season, with the end of the season coming up and greater ramifications. So, it puts a greater light on it right now. It seems like there’s a lot of very thoughtful direction that the commissioner and others are having. You just can’t have a rush to judgment.”

Big Ten needs everyone on same page

In his role with the NFF, the veteran college sports administrator oversees the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta and the annual Hall of Fame awards. Hatchell believes it’s on the conference to come down with a ruling, suggesting a league is a “family.”

He also believes that it’s on the Big Ten to protect Michigan, in this situation, from the rest of its conference peers. It’s a delicate balance that Petitti must strike. All of this comes as the NCAA continues its investigation.

“Here’s a conference with just terrific academic institutions,” the former Big 12 commissioner said. “They’re governed by wonderful presidents and athletic directors. So you say, ‘How do you get into this situation?’ At the end of the day, it’s still the Big Ten. And it’s still a bedrock and one of the cornerstones of what’s good in all of college football. Is this a hiccup? Or is it a lot more involved? I guess the idea would be, having been a conference commissioner, these are really complicated issues.

“And it seems like it unravels every day, there’s something new, which means at what point do you basically get in a room and say, ‘OK, guys, where are we going? Let’s put all the cards on the table. What’s going on here?’ And then everybody’s on the same page. I know that in the positions I’ve been fortunate to be in, it’s the role of the conference for one to be protected from 13, and 13 to be protected by one. So, is everybody on the same page?”

Steven Hatchell: CFP made right decision

For the second consecutive week, Michigan was slated at No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Wolverines are a perfect 9-0, heading into a trip to Happy Valley for a matchup with No. 10 Penn State.

If the Big Ten even comes down with a ruling remains to be seen. In an email from Michigan president Santo Ono to Petitti, which The Wolverine first reported on, Ono outlined that if the commissioner refused to let the NCAA’s process play out, an injunction would follow.

The College Football Playoff has not taken any of this into consideration, solely focusing on the wins and losses on the football field. A win on Saturday over Penn State would deliver the Wolverines their first top-10 win of the year.

Hatchell is in agreement that the CFP has made the right decision by waiting for the season to play out and not letting their judgment be clouded.

“I saw that from Bill Hancock, they’re not an administrative board, and I think that’s accurate,” he said. “They’re evaluating what happens on the field and as the season goes. I think it would be wrong for them, not that they’re advocating that at all.

“It would be wrong for them to say, ‘Well, we’re not going to consider any institution because we think that there might be some issues coming down the pipe.’ You just keep doing what you’re doing and put that playoff together for the year, then see what happens after that.”