Pac-12 Officially Parts Ways With George Kliavkoff
Typically, when a CEO runs their company into the ground, it’s a matter of days before he’s escorted out the front door with his belongings in a paper box, courtesy of a vote from the company board.
In George Kliavkoff’s case, it was a much lengthier divorce process, as the Pac-12 commissioner wasn’t relieved of his duties until several months after the conference went belly-up.
Back in August of 2023, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah announced their intentions to join the Big 12 –following in Colorado’s footsteps — while Oregon and Washington got their chance to jump to the Big Ten.
He didn’t know it then, but Kliavkoff effectively signed and sealed the Pac-12’s fate when he decided to snub ESPN at the negotiation table back in 2022. The conference would try every avenue possible to get a legitimate television deal in the months that followed, but nothing every came of it and eventually, the schools lost their patience.
The conference officially announced that it would part ways with Kliavkoff in a press release on Friday, saying that it would be seeking a “change in leadership.”
“The Pac-12 Board of Directors announced today that the Conference and George Kliavkoff have mutually agreed to part ways, effective February 29, 2024,” the release reads. “More details about new leadership of the Pac-12 will be announced next week.”
It was announced earlier this week that the Pac-12 had begun the process of separating from Kliavkoff, but now it’s become a confirmation, with his final day coming on February 29.
Kliavkoff was originally named the Pac-12 commissioner on May 13, 2021, and will fall just shy of three years at his post there.
