T1B

Texas A&M athletics director Bill Byrne didn't hold back much Wednesday in his blog on the school's website as he pointed the finger at ESPN and the Longhorn Network for pushing the Aggies to leave the Big 12.

"You all know the landscape of the Big 12 Conference was altered by the creation of the Longhorn Network," Byrne wrote. "We rebuffed an attempt to televise high school games on the LHN, arguing that this type of activity was a clear violation of NCAA rules. The most recent attempt by ESPN is to take highlights of high school games as part of news segments. The NCAA is taking a wait and see attitude on the highlights. I disagree with their stance — as do many of my colleagues across the country. We anticipate that ESPN will continue to push the envelope with the Longhorn Network, regardless of Texas A&M's conference affiliation."

Byrne didn't stop there.

"The other issue was an attempt to coerce other Big 12 schools to move their football games in Austin to the Longhorn Network," he said. "Our understanding from day one was that every conference school would have the rights to one football game a year, and a handful of basketball games, which has been our longstanding agreement in the Big 12."

Byrne's take on schools being forced to have a game on the Longhorn Network isn't exactly accurate but reflects the school's frustration with the new TV deal for its rival. Big 12 schools still have rights to one football game a year, so nothing had changed. ESPN and the Longhorn Network were asking for one of Texas' home conference games to be shown and the visiting school would be paid accordingly.

H4ever wrote:Aggie fan will go apeshit (human nature is human nature) when the corruption that is the Big 12 minus 3 rears its ugly head on the AtM farewell tour.

Bizzarofelice wrote:OH AND WHERE'S THAT CORRUPTION WHINING WHEN NEBRASKA BOOTS A BALL INTO THE AIR ILLEGALLY AND IT GETS CAUGHT SO A NATIONAL CONTENDER CAN SQUEAK PAST A LOSS!!!!!!