3 Mountain West schools sue conference for tens of millions as they depart

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00:00At a time of year when college athletic departments should be focused on gearing up for the 2025 football season,

00:06three schools departing the Mountain West are ramping up the legal fight over conference realignment,

00:11and they're taking direct aim at their own conference office.

00:17Colorado State, Boise State, and Utah State, who are leaving the league to join the Pac-12 next year,

00:24are suing the Mountain West Conference, accusing the league of improperly withholding tens of millions of dollars in payments.

00:32That includes payments from the NCAA that the conference earned due to Boise State's appearance in the college football playoff.

00:39The law firm O'Melveny released a statement detailing the complaint and said,

00:44the Mountain West is currently withholding millions due to the departing schools from the NCAA,

00:49including NCAA grant-in-aid and other monies specifically designed to promote academic programs and student-athlete well-being.

00:59The new filing will be added to the existing lawsuit over schools leaving the conference and the penalties they have to pay.

01:06That will drag out the process even further, something Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Navarez wants to avoid.

01:13You know, we're really confident in our legal position,

01:15and we're committed to resolving these things as quickly as possible,

01:20because I think it's best for everyone, student-athletes, schools, leagues, to move on.

01:24So our commitment is to get through these as quick as possible.

01:26The three outgoing schools say the conference is withholding the money as a penalty outlined in their exit fee agreement.

01:33They argue, however, that the exit fees, which could range from $19 million to $38 million, are unlawful and not enforceable.

01:41In addition, the lawsuit claims the Mountain West concealed a plan for Phoenix, Arizona-based Grand Canyon University

01:48to join the conference a year earlier without informing the departing schools.

01:53That move could impact travel schedules, expenses, and future postseason bids.

01:58The schools said they have worked in good faith to resolve the matter.

02:02Unfortunately, during that same period, actions taken by the Mountain West and Commissioner Navarez

02:09have raised serious concerns regarding their fairness and transparency.

02:13In a separate legal matter, the Mountain West has sued the Pac-12 for $55 million for poaching five schools,

02:20including the Rams, Aggies, and Broncos.

02:23These legal battles may take months or even years to resolve, but for at least one more year,

02:29all 12 current member schools will have to play nice under the same banner.

02:34For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis.