Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott addressed the latest black eye for the conference this morning.
Yahoo Sports has an excellent story that showed Woodie Dixon, the Pac-12’s senior vice president of business affairs, overruled the replay booth when it determined Washington State player Logan Tago targeted USC quarterback JT Daniels during the game last month.
How is someone with no training as an official allowed to make such a decision?
“He has been involved in support for our replay officials and discussion about replay decisions. … Upon reflection, I think that was a mistake,” Scott said.
From Yahoo: The Pac-12 will takes steps to address the issue both immediately and in the long term. The first will be the elimination of any influence during the in-game replay review process for both the director of officiating, David Coleman, and senior vice president of business affairs, Woodie Dixon. (Dixon is in charge of football in the league and was identified as the “third party” who telephoned in to negate the targeting call on USC). Scott said it was important to eliminate even the perception that “any conference staff” could be “involved in driving a decision in real time.”
More from Scott: “I recognize there could be a perception of a conflict of interest.”
Scott on Dixon offering his opinion to booth and command center: “They clearly interpreted it as a directive.”
Can the Pac-12 get a commissioner who knows something about sports?
By the way, if you think USC got the short end of the stick, remember that Porter Gustin delivered an even worse targeting blow to Washington State QB Gardner Minshew. Maybe the replay officials didn’t call anything because they had already been overruled by Dixon.
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 
PAC 12 stinks from the head down. The AD’s need to fire Scott and get a competent person to run the league. Games that are played on a Thursday or Friday night is joke. PAC 12 games should only be played on Saturday between the hours of 1 P.M. to 5 P.M. Bowl games are a different story. To heck with the tv. They will come around. Give the players consistency on when the play. Oh, I forgot, it is all about Scott and what is good for him.
He can stick it in his ear. He is a bona fide bone head.
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Couldn’t agree more PT!! You can fire Scott, but its the AD’s and college presidents who signed off on the late starts and weekday games!
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What a commentary on USC football – an awful call that definitely affected the outcome of that game against WA St. This is the graphic reason why there’ll be no ‘expansion’ of the Pac-12 not with the horrific deal per the network and the current commissioner. Go CO! Rid us of that clown Helton and his baseball cap.
“Tennis anyone?”
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The Pac-12 has by FAR the “smartest” institutions relative to the other conferences – except, maybe, the Ivy League. For such a smart group of school, they have morons for leaders on the athletic front. How the university presidents at Stanford, Cal, USC and Washington put up with this sub-standard leadership is beyond me. The Network is a joke, Larry Scott? Need I even say anything?
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ACC: Duke, Virginia, NC, Wake Forest, GA Tech, Boston College.
What was your point again?
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Apparently you didn’t take notice of the two crooks ( Nikias & Haden ) who turned USC, it’s athletic department and reputation into the joke it is today. Leaving in place a know nothing do nothing pathetic figurehead, Lynn Swann, who should be more ashamed of himself every time he deposits the check USC gives him…payment for making no difference at all and being the most insignificant official in school history.
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Wait things are going wrong after they hired a guy who was running a tennis league? Hard to believe. At least they gave him a healthy raise last year.
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The next time there’s a question about a call, call me at least I have a referee in my family. He does high school games but he can spot a blown call in a flash. In fact he says, “how do you know when a PAC 12 ref has blown the call? He throws a flag! “
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Scooter, why didn’t you break this story?
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The PAC 12 has grown to be a bigger laughingstock every year since this clown Larry Scott started running the conference into the ground and administration officials don’t seem to give a care so why should anyone else?
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Haden was the chief cheerleader for this inept clown Scott…Haden wanted USC to be more like that con job in So. Bend-IN….no real conference member…never has to play in a CCG….keeps all the money from broadcasting …. best of al mirrored the left-leaning schools awarding that pagan clown barakska, most pro-abortion leader ever, an award.
We have so much we all owe Haden
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Haden threatened the PAC 12 about USC going independent, Stanford A.D. called Haden’s bluff and said, “Go ahead”…making Haden look like an even bigger fool.
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Upset with by Washington State AD Bill Moos’ proposal to change the Pac-12’s revenue distribution, Haden suggested during an October 2010 conference meeting that USC would explore leaving the league, according to Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian in “The System.” But then Stanford AD Bob Bowlsby, the authors wrote, “had no patience for Haden’s bluster and called his bluff, saying everyone knew that wasn’t going to happen.”
Pat Haden is a joke
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