SANTA FE, N.M.-
The Mountain West Conference board of directors has hired a law firm to represent the league in matters regarding its television contract with MountainWest Sports Network.
The Mtn. is the first network dedicated to a single athletic conference. The league is upset with the “unacceptable state of the distribution” of the network, the league said after its annual meetings Tuesday.
The board reaffirmed its unanimous support of the league’s television model, which allows the conference to play games at preferred times and dates. But the board also unanimously voted to retain Kelly Crabb of the Morrison & Foerster law firm in Los Angeles to “clarify the nature of the television contract, delineate the distribution strategies available to the Conference and work directly with Commissioner Craig Thompson and an ad hoc committee of the board in representing the MWC in ongoing negotiations.”
Serving as the ad hoc committee will be TCU chancellor Victor Boschini, Colorado State University president Larry Edward Penley and BYU president Cecil Samuelson.
“Feedback regarding The Mtn. programming for those who have access has been very positive, but the board believes it is critical to expand the availability of the network to all MWC constituents,” said Penley, the board chairman.
The conference also approved moving the “play-in” game at the men’s basketball tournament from Tuesday to Wednesday and coupling it with the four women’s quarterfinals.
The board established a one-game suspension as the presumptive penalty for a second ejection from a contest in any sport and opposed establishing an early signing period in football, noting a lack of consensus among MWC football coaches on the issue.
And the board supported the concept of a fifth year of eligibility in football. The NCAA is soliciting feedback on that issue.
