Sports
B1G denies Michigan coercion claim over PE deal
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Big Ten Conference pushed back Tuesday on a claim by a University of Michigan regent that commissioner Tony Petitti threatened to punish the school if it refuses to support a plan that would clear the way for $2.4 billion in private investment in the league.
Mark Bernstein, chairman of the Michigan board of regents, told The Associated Press this week that Petitti had attempted to “strong-arm” Michigan in a move he said “calls into question his continued leadership of the Big Ten Conference.”
“The Big Ten conference commissioner has threatened the University of Michigan with penalties if we do not approve this deal,” said Bernstein, declining to provide specifics. “Nobody pushes around the University of Michigan — ever.”
The Big Ten disputed the allegation that any school is being forced to back the plan since discussions began last year.
“After receiving interest from third party investors, we formed a working group chaired by then-President (Santa J.) Ono of the University of Michigan to explore and evaluate all options on behalf of our members and the more than 12,000 student athletes in the Big Ten,” said Maryland President Darryll Pines, chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors. “Since we first met in 2024, this has been a collaborative, fair and thorough process that included the University of Michigan. Any other characterization of the work of the COPC and the conference office is inaccurate.
“At Michigan’s direction,” he added, “the conference continues to work with a consultant retained by Michigan to evaluate the transaction.”
Like all major conferences, the Big Ten has been exploring new revenue streams to help its 18 member schools pay the bills in the new era of college athletics. Every school that opted into the House settlement can share up to $20.5 million this academic year alone with its athletes, a number set to rise in the years ahead. Some dramatic changes have already taken place on some campuses.
Private equity stakes have been a controversial subject for schools and conferences, with critics saying it would put profit concerns into the mix along with concerns about who is in control. The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors opened discussions in July with UC Investments, which handles the University of California’s public pension, on the potential to set up a commercial entity, Big Ten Enterprises, to generate money for all 18 schools through 2046.
UC Investments would give each school a portion of the $2.4 billion up front in a tiered distribution system, in exchange for a 10% cut of the Big Ten’s media rights and sponsorships.
Like Michigan, USC is against the deal as it currently stands. USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen noted that the deal calls for revenue to be “unevenly distributed to members” and was lukewarm in a letter to boosters last week.
“We greatly value our membership in the Big Ten Conference and understand and respect the larger landscape,” she wrote. “But we also recognize the power of the USC brand is far-reaching, deeply engaging and incredibly valuable, and we will always fight first for what’s best for USC.”
UC Investments chief investment officer Jagdeep Singh Bachher said Monday that conference leadership, including Petitti, has shown “exceptional leadership” and “recent misinformation has distorted some aspects of its effort.” He noted that “unity” from all 18 member schools will be “key to the success of Big Ten Enterprises.”
“We also recognize that some member universities need more time to assess the benefits of their participation,” Bachher wrote, without naming any schools. “UC Investments likewise requires some additional time to complete our due diligence as recent developments unfold and we continue to engage with the conference.”
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has asked the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation for an analysis of several key issues facing college sports, including how a deal to bring outside funding into athletic departments might impact their tax-exempt status.
“Legitimate questions have been raised about whether it is time to rethink the tax-exempt regime under which college sports currently operates,” Cantwell said, in reprising a theme she raised with Big Ten leaders last month.
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni also expressed reservations about Big Ten schools approving such a deal without input from their boards.
“This is not how responsible governance functions,” the council president, Michael Poliakoff, wrote in an open letter last week.
Bernstein agreed.
“It also raises very important and urgent governance questions regarding leadership of the Big Ten Conference and the way many Big Ten universities make decisions,” he said. “It’s my well-informed impression that most of the presidents, chancellors and governing boards of Big Ten universities have not fully evaluated this deal. If they did, they would not support it in its current form.”
Regent Sarah Hubbard said the Big Ten has not given the school a deadline to vote on the proposal, and another regent, Jordan Acker, said he did not like the idea.
“Having the richest college football conference join arms with private equity is not in my view a positive for the University of Michigan,” Acker said.
Bernstein went a step further, saying the deal is “reckless” and “short-sighted.”
“The process has failed to fully evaluate alternatives that address the very real challenges facing many Big Ten athletic departments,” he said. “We acknowledge that the financial model for most athletic conferences and athletic departments is broken. A bailout from private equity is not the way to fix the systemic problems facing collegiate athletics right now.”
PROVO, Utah — Themus Fulks had 24 points and 11 assists, Jordan Burks also scored a career-high 24 and UCF shot 14-of-24 from 3-point range to run away from No. 19 BYU for a 97-84 upset Tuesday night.
Jamichael Stillwell added 12 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as the Knights (20-7, 9-6 Big 12) earned their first victory over the Cougars by outscoring them 44-34 in the paint and shooting 56% from the field — including 58% on 3s.
UCF’s 13-point margin of victory was its largest on the road over an AP-ranked team in program history, and third-largest in any game vs. an AP-ranked team.
AJ Dybantsa led BYU with 29 points and eight rebounds, his 21st game scoring at least 20 points, most among Division I freshmen this season. Robert Wright III had 20 points on 7-of-21 shooting, and Aleksej Kostic scored 14 off the bench. The Cougars (20-8, 8-7) shot 41% from the floor and trailed the entire way.
UCF got off to a blistering start on offense and didn’t let up. The Knights went 11-of-16 from 3-point territory and shot 57% from the field overall before halftime.
Burks drained three corner 3s over four possessions to cap an 18-4 run that put UCF ahead 23-8. Four of the Knights’ first nine field goals were transition baskets, including two of Burks’ long-distance buckets, and they started 9-of-11 from the floor overall.
It didn’t get much better for BYU as the first half progressed. UCF outscored the Cougars 25-10 over the final 9:21 of the period to go up 52-28 at halftime. Fulks made four baskets over a three-minute stretch to cap the surge, helping the Knights set a season high for points in a half.
Fulks became the fifth different player in Big 12 history to have 20 points and 10 assists in a win over an AP-ranked opponent.
UCF opened the second with a 12-0 spurt powered by three straight baskets from John Bol to take its largest lead at 64-28.
The Knights’ 97 points were their most in a game against an AP-ranked team in program history. They improved to 3-3 against ranked teams this season.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The SEC has fined Kentucky coach Mark Pope $25,000 for his “post-game conduct and comments” following his team’s 75-74 loss at Auburn on Saturday, the league announced.
Auburn won the game on Elyjah Freeman‘s tip-in with 1.1 seconds to go. That play followed a controversial offensive foul call against Collin Chandler that set up Auburn’s game winner.
“Mitch, if those mother F’ers try to fine me, screw ’em because I did not say a word about how they cheated us,” Pope said to Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart as he left the postgame podium.
The league said Pope violated SEC rules after the game.
“University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope has been issued a public reprimand and fined $25,000 by the Southeastern Conference for post-game conduct and comments related to officiating following the Wildcats’ game at Auburn University on February 21,” the SEC said in its statement on Tuesday. “The comments violated SEC Bylaw 10.5.3 (Sportsmanship) and the SEC Commissioner’s Regulation regarding Public Criticism of Officials, which prohibit coaches, student-athletes and institutional staff from publicly criticizing officials or disclosing officiating-related communications.”
Saturday’s game was the third consecutive loss for Kentucky, which reportedly spent more than $20 million on its current roster, and the team’s fourth loss in seven games just weeks before Selection Sunday. Late in Saturday’s game, Chandler was whistled for pushing off an Auburn player on the inbounds with nearly 14 seconds to go in the game. On the next possession, Auburn sealed the win on Freeman’s putback.
After the game, Pope said his team had to stay focused even if things were “personal.”
“We refuse to give control to people that are outside of our program. Refuse,” Pope said after the loss. “Regardless of how personal it might get or how bad it might get, we refuse to give control to fans, to give control to anybody else associated with this game. Regardless of how blatantly people are trying to make this not happen, we refuse to give them our power. … We don’t make excuses. We don’t do that. Regardless of what is happening. Regardless of how disgraceful things are, we don’t give away our power. Regardless of how embarrassing, personal, awful, unacceptable things are, we refuse to give away our power.”
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The girlfriend of a college track and field athlete was arrested for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend to death.
Kevaughn Goldson, a senior sprinter from Jamaica, was killed in a stabbing off Lincoln University’s campus in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Goldson, 23, was found after police were called to a house on Monday morning with stab wounds in his back and chest. He died from his injuries after being taken to the hospital.
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Denita Jackson, 27, has been charged with the murder of her boyfriend, Kevaughn Goldson, 23, after an incident at Lincoln University. (Lincoln University/Cole County Sheriff’s Office)
“Our thoughts are with family, friends, faculty, staff and all who have been impacted by this tragic situation,” Lincoln University told KRCG in a press release regarding Goldson’s death.
“The well-being of our University community is our greatest priority. Students and employees are reminded of counseling and other support services for those who need them.”
Goldson’s girlfriend, Denita Jackson, was charged by Cole County prosecutors with second-degree murder and armed criminal action.
While in a romantic relationship, KMIZ in Missouri reported that there were past issues of domestic violence between the two. Jackson, 27, also ran track and field at Lincoln University.
Investigators questioned Jackson, who allegedly told them she believed Goldson was having an affair with one of her roommates, saying she found him in bed with her, both individuals being clothed, after returning home.
General view of starting blocks and baton at the 120th Penn Relays at Franklin Field. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Jackson opened her roommate’s locked door with a hairclip after hearing her roommate talking with someone in her room, according to court documents. The docs said that Jackson jumped on her roommate’s bed and grabbed Goldson by the shirt, as well as a bottle of cologne that had allegedly been missing, leading to a fight.
Goldson, then, allegedly started to choke Jackson while on top of her, leading to the latter grabbing a knife from under the bed and stabbing the former.
Jackson was allegedly the one to call police regarding the incident, while authorities initially took Goldson to Capital Regional Emergency Room. He was, then, airlifted to University Hospital, where he eventually died during surgery.
General view of hurdles at a Track & Field event. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
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Goldson, who stood six-foot, 160 pounds, was a middle distance runner with the Blue Tigers earlier in his college career before moving into a sprinter role with the program.
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