drobina

former Big Eight
commissioner.
Beebe said he was never

given a specific reason as
to why he was fired.
University of Oklahoma
President David Boren led
the push for Beebe’s
removal.
“Obviously there were some
concerns he had about the
fact that three members
had left during my tenure
and whether I could have
done anything differently or
not that was a factor,”
Beebe said. “It’s their right
to do what they did. And I
have nothing but respect
and admiration for the
institutions and a great love
for the conference and its
schools and the citizens
they represent.
“I didn’t get specifics about
what decisions I had made
or didn’t make so I could
address those specifically.
But that’s fine. It was more
nebulous. It was more, ‘We
just need to go in a
different direction.”’
The Big 12 invited TCU last
week to join the league,
which would push
membership back to 10, if
Missouri stays.
Beebe, naturally, said
Missouri would be best
served by staying.
He also said he has been in
contact with Neinas and has
offered any assistance he
can provide in helping keep
the conference together.
“The Big 12 conference is
bigger than me,” he said.
“Personally, (being fired)
hurt. It hurt to have some
really false things put out in
the press that your whole
family reads and your
colleagues read, but the
fact of the matter is when I
step back … I love this