Pac-12 files lawsuit in federal court over ‘poaching penalty’

The Pac-12 filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday challenging the legality of a “poaching penalty” included in a football scheduling agreement it entered into with the Mountain West Conference in December.

Oregon State and Washington State needed to fill their 2024 football schedules as quickly as possible late last year after the Pac-12 collapsed. They reached a one-year deal with the Mountain West that added six MWC opponents to each remaining Pac-12 school’s schedule this season.

As part of the agreement, Mountain West included provisions requiring the Pac-12 to pay a $10 million fee if a school left the MWC for the Pac-12, with a $500,000 surcharge for each additional school.

“This action challenges an anti-competitive and unlawful ‘Poaching Penalty’ imposed by the MWC on the Pac-12 to impede competition among member schools in college athletics,” the complaint states. “The ‘Poaching Penalty’ saddles the Pac-12 with excessive and punitive monetary compensation for participating in competition by admitting MWC member schools into the Pac-12.”