Published • loading... • Updated
Pac-12, Mountain West Conferences Agree to Settlement in Lawsuits over Poaching and Exit Fees
The conferences will pause court fights over a scheduling clause and exit fees while they negotiate a settlement involving millions of dollars.
- On Monday, May 18, 2026, the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain West Conference reached an agreement in principle to resolve pending lawsuits regarding exit fees and alleged "poaching."
- The legal battle began after the Pac-12 challenged the validity of a "poaching" clause in a 2024 football scheduling agreement, which imposed penalties on schools departing for the Pac-12.
- Departing schools including Boise State University, Utah State University, Colorado State University, San Diego State University, and Fresno State challenged payments ranging from $19 million to $38 million, while the Mountain West sought roughly $150 million.
- Parties agreed to stay active lawsuits in California and Colorado while finalizing the settlement, halting discovery proceedings scheduled for the District Court this week.
- Both conferences continue restructuring; the Pac-12 is adding Gonzaga and Texas State, while the Mountain West secured UTEP, Hawaii, and Northern Illinois to bolster football rosters.
Insights by Ground AI
36 Articles
36 Articles
McFeely: Spat over (gulp) $155 million settled between Mountain West, Pac-12
FARGO — North Dakota State’s old football home, the FCS Missouri Valley Football Conference, had total revenues of $1.848 million in 2023, according to its publicly available tax filing with the Internal Revenue Service. Its media rights were worth $70,000, the filing said. Its now-retired commissioner, Patty Viverito, was paid less than $100,000. NDSU will be charged an exit fee of $0 for leaving the Valley for the higher-level FBS Mountain Wes…
·Fargo, United States
Read Full Article
Associated Press News+22 Reposted by 22 other sources
Pac-12, Mountain West conferences agree to settlement in lawsuits over poaching and exit fees
The Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences have reached an agreement in principle to resolve pending lawsuits over “poaching” and exit fees.
·United States
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources36
Leaning Left15Leaning Right3Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution52% Left
Bias Distribution
- 52% of the sources lean Left
52% Left
L 52%
C 38%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
