Junction

Beebe loses his job over this fiasco. He committed the league, also speaking for the member institutions, in conveying a clear path for A&M to join the SEC. In doing so, he opended himself and the league up to liability in reneging on that. If Baylor and the others want to hold us hostage by interfering with the exit process they and the conference approved, they will be opening an even bigger can of worms. I don't blame the SEC for wanting to sit out this dog fight but I expect they will give us all the support and runway we need to eventually join them.

If this doesn't look like a peaceful resolution can be accomplished soon, I'd like to see us go independant and partner with the SEC next year for a full set of games just as if we were in the league. Regardless of whether the Big 12 lives or dies this next year, we join officially join the SEC for the 2013 season.

How does he still have a job?

I don't know that it's true he sent the original letter without clear authorization. The MSU President clearly states that Baylor called to say they "would no longer support their earlier position" and then Beebe told them Baylor "had withdrawn their earlier support."

Here's the statement:

"Last night, we (the SEC presidents) were called to Atlanta by (SEC) Commissioner Slive to discuss the possibility of accepting the application that had been submitted to the conference by Texas A&M to join the SEC. We were to arrive at 6 pm. As the different presidents and chancellors arrived we gathered together and the commissioner came in and said we have had a late-breaking development. He said we have heard from one of the Big 12 member schools, one of the presidents of one of their schools called and said he would no longer support his earlier agreement to give Texas A&M complete legal waiver to leave the Big 12. He had changed his position and would pursue legal actions against the Southeastern Conference if we were to extend an invitation to Texas A&M. We also heard from the commissioner of the Big 12 and he basically reiterated that a member school had withdrawn their earlier support and he anticipated legal action from that particular school.

"So, that was the situation as we entered the meeting last night. It was a complete surprise to all of us because we had received a letter from Dan Beebe, the Commissioner of the Big 12, last Friday, September 2nd, that clearly spelled out that their league had unanimously voted to give Texas A&M complete legal waiver from any potential legal action, allowing them to leave the Big 12 conference. That's what prompted the formal meeting of all the presidents coming to Atlanta and making a decision as to whether or not we wanted to accept Texas A&M as a member of the SEC. Texas A&M had submitted a formal application for admittance to the SEC. But due to the latest development we weren't able to extend that invitation."