College Basketball
An internal investigation by the NCAA reports the association prioritizes men’s basketball “over everything else.” The report was put together by civil rights litigator Roberta A. Kaplan and her law firm. Kaplan found the NCAA is earning far less than it could be for television rights for its women’s basketball tournament. The report recommended the men’s and women’s Final Fours be held in the same city, among other suggestions. The investigation was sparked after players and coaches spoke out at last season’s women’s basketball tournament about the inequality between the men’s and women’s competitions.
College Sports
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff are meeting to discuss a possible strategic partnership between the conferences. The Athletic reports that the meeting was not centered around an official partnership, but more to explore options following Texas and Oklahoma’s decision to join the SEC. Bowlsby has mentioned the possibility of the Big 12 partnering or combining with another conference in recent days. Kliavkoff said last week at Pac-12 Media Day that numerous schools have reached out to him about possible expansion.
NFL
Recently retired quarterback Philip Rivers says he isn’t ruling out a return to the NFL. Rivers told the Los Angeles Times he plans to stay in shape just in case a situation presents itself for the quarterback to return for a late-season stint. The 39-year-old said he hasn’t “completely ruled that out” when talking about getting a potential call in December or January to get back on the field. Rivers spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts after 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers and ranks fifth in NFL history with 63,440 passing yards.