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Kansas senator calling for investigation into ESPN following departure of Texas, Oklahoma from Big 12
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Roger Marshall, a senator from Kansas, has called for the Department of Justice to investigate ESPN’s role after Texas and Oklahoma both announced they were leaving the Big 12.
Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall has asked the Dept of Justice to investigate ESPN’s role in Texas and Oklahoma moving to the SEC.
Marshall cited ESPN’s new TV contract with the SEC in his letter, seemingly unaware ESPN currently has all ACC football TV rightshttps://t.co/HwIJV3dVGe
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) August 4, 2021
Marshall said in his statement that he asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to open the investigation as he claimed there could be anti-trust issues when it comes to ESPN.
Here is his full statement:
It’s time for DOJ to investigate ESPN for its possible role of ensuring the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma move to the SEC. https://t.co/NJyn7v6M0v
— Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) August 4, 2021
Part of his statement talks about a news article where the conference has evidence about ESPN being behind this and he says:
“A recent NEWS ARTICLE SUGGESTS that the Big XII has “evidence that ESPN was manipulating all this.” The Big XII Commissioner Bob Bowlsby even sent a cease-and-desist letter to ESPN, accusing it of attempting to get the teams to the SEC. BOWLSBY CLAIMS THAT ESPN has “actively engaged in discussions with at least one other conference regarding that conference inducing additional Members of the Big 12 Conference to leave the Big 12 Conference.”
Despite Marshall calling for an investigation, it’s unlikely that the Department of Justice is going to get to this in a timely manner. They have many other things to attend to that are more important than ESPN ensuring two Big 12 schools leave to go to the SEC.
That said, this could be the Big 12’s only chance to make sure that they don’t dissolve fully. If both Texas and Oklahoma officially leave in a few years, there’s basically nothing that could be done to save the conference.
We’ll have to see how this all ends.