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A32 sports
Diamars 27 Juli 2021

With eye on SEC, Oklahoma, Texas move toward leaving Big 12

has acknowledged that pub- win national championships ence distributed $345 million
licly. in the Big 12′s 27-year his- to its 10 members this year
tory. ($34.5 million apiece), down
The “grant of rights” gives from the previous year be-
the conference control of “Like many others, we will cause of the pandemic.
the school’s media rights and use the next four years to ful-
runs concurrent with the ly assess what the landscape The SEC announced an av-
Big 12′s television contracts will look like in 2025 and be- erage payout to each of its
with ESPN and Fox, which yond,” he said. “The remain- members of $44.6 million in
expire in 2025. ing eight institutions will January.
work together in a collabora-
“Although our eight mem- tive manner to thoughtfully Joining another conference
bers are disappointed with and strategically position the with the grant of rights still
the decisions of these two in- Big 12 Conference for con- in effect is a nonstarter. Texas
stitutions, we recognize that tinued success, both athleti- and Oklahoma would bring
(AP) - Oklahoma and agreements.” intercollegiate athletics is ex- cally and academically, long no media rights value to their
Texas took the first formal periencing rapid change and into the future.” new conference and it would
step Monday toward mov- “However, both universities will most likely look much cost the schools tens of mil-
ing to the Southeastern will continue to monitor the different in 2025 than it does The remaining eight Big 12 lions of dollars per year.
Conference, notifying the rapidly evolving collegiate currently,” Big 12 Commis- schools — Kansas, Kansas
Big 12 they would not be athletics landscape as they sioner Bob Bowlsby said in a State, Iowa State, Oklahoma Without Texas and Okla-
renewing an agreement consider how best to position statement. State, TCU, Baylor, Texas homa, the Big 12 is in dan-
that binds the league’s their athletics programs in Tech and West Virginia —- ger of falling apart. Even if it
members through 2025. the future,” the schools said. Bowlsby, who was part of a were still hoping to persuade were to stay together by add-
video conference this week- the conference’s flagships ing other schools, the value
The schools sent out a joint Texas and Oklahoma have end with the university presi- schools to stay put. of the league would likely be
statement that made no men- been in discussions with the dents of Oklahoma and Tex- severely diminished when it
tion of the SEC and said “the SEC about joining the league, as, acknowledged the future The Big 12′s TV deals make goes looking for its next tele-
universities intend to honor though neither school nor of the league will not include up the bulk of the confer- vision contract.
their existing grant of rights the powerhouse conference the only football programs to ence’s revenue. The confer-

Bengals give DE Sam Hubbard 4-year contract extension

(AP) — Cincinnati Ben- at right defensive end since because of injuries and in- defense, according to Duke had 109 tackles, 15 passes
gals defensive end Sam 2019. The deal was an- fighting. Tobin, the team’s director of defended and three intercep-
Hubbard has signed a nounced Monday, two days player personnel. Bates, 23, tions in 2021.
four-year contract exten- before the opening of train- “He’s consistent every single
sion. ing camp. day with his approach, the
players look to him for lead-
Hubbard, a Cincinnati na- “Sam Hubbard is the kind of ership,” Cincinnati coach
tive who played at Ohio guy you want on your foot- Zac Taylor said. “They look
State, was entering the fourth ball team,” Bengals owner to him to make plays. He
season of his rookie deal. A and president Mike Brown really sets the tone in every-
third-round draft pick (77th said Monday. “He has sound thing that we do, so to be able
overall) in 2018, he’s played ability, but he’s really a good to reward a player like that
in played 44 career games and person. He’s an example for who’s truly earned it is a fun
has 16 1/2 sacks, third most the other guys. He does ev- thing to do.”
among all players from his erything the right way.”
draft class. The team is working on a
Hubbard was one of the few similar extension for safety
The 26-year-old Hubbard constants in 2020 on a defen- Jessie Bates, who has become
has been the full-time starter sive line that was in turmoil a cornerstone of the Bengals’