Texas Lawmakers File a Bill to Keep the Longhorns From Leaving the Big 12
In a symbolic move, the Texas Legislature have filed a bill to block the University of Texas from joining the Southeastern Conference.
According to the Texas Tribune, a few lawmakers in Texas have put forth legislation that would prohibit colleges and universities from moving from one athletic conference to another without approval of the Texas Legislature.
Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, has co-authored House Bill 298 but it is purely symbolic since the bill is unrelated to anything Gov. Abbott has on the agenda for the special session and is just to show the authors of the bill s displeasure with UT trying to move to the SEC.
Lubbock lawmakers to examine Texas future after UT, OU move to SEC lubbockonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lubbockonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Oklahoma announced Monday they will not renew their sports media rights contract with the Big 12, set to end in 2025, giving the first formal signal that they re planning to leave the athletics conference.
The decision comes after rumors surfaced last week that UT-Austin and Oklahoma would leave the Big 12 and join the Southeastern Conference, which would then include 16 schools.
The move creates uncertainty for the future of the Big 12 Conference and its other members.
That includes Texas Tech, whose President Lawrence Schovanec on Monday released a statement referring to Tech as a founding and trusted member of the Big 12 Conference, and expressing disappointment at UT and OU s decision not to renew their media rights.
Speaker Dade Phelan signs civil arrest warrant for Texas House Democrat who returned to Washington kztv10.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kztv10.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A UT Longhorns football helmet during a game against Baylor in 2017.
As the college athletics world roils over the possibility of the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 conference, a group of Texas legislators with ties to other universities in the state has mobilized.
Four prominent lawmakers one each with ties to Baylor University, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University and Texas A&M University met with Gov. Greg Abbott’s staff Thursday, one day after news broke that UT and OU had reached out to the Southeastern Conference about joining, according to a source briefed about the meeting and an Abbott spokesperson. Abbott is a UT alumnus and outspoken Longhorn fan.