Pac-12, Mountain West headed back to court over millions in ‘poaching’ fees

The Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences are headed back to court after failing to reach a settlement agreement in mediation over $55 million in “poaching” fees.

The conferences failed to reach an agreement by Tuesday’s deadline in mediation that began in May. The Pac-12 has requested a hearing on the pending motion to dismiss on Sept. 9.

The Pac-12 and some of the schools it is adding filed lawsuits last year, claiming the poaching clause it agreed to when it signed a scheduling agreement for its football teams for last season was invalid.

The clause called for payments to the Mountain West of $10 million for the first team that left, with the amount growing by $500,000 for every additional team. That was on top of the $17 million-plus exit fees schools were responsible for as part of a different agreement.

Teams that pulled off huge March Madness upsets opt out of revenue sharing

Saint Peter’s, Fairleigh Dickinson and Maryland-Baltimore County — three schools that have taken March Madness by storm at various points in the past decade — have declined to opt in to college sports’ new revenue sharing model.

The newly formed College Sports Commission, which oversees revenue sharing following the House settlement, posted a list of schools that have opted into revenue sharing. All members of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference are participating, and other Division I schools had to opt in or out by June 30.

Saint Peter’s, which reached the men’s Elite Eight as a No. 15 seed in 2022, did not opt in. Iona and Manhattan, who play with Saint Peter’s in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, didn’t either.

UMBC and Fairleigh Dickinson, the only two teams to pull off a 16-over-1 upset in the men’s basketball tournament, opted out as well.

RUNNING

World’s oldest marathon runner, Fauja Singh, dies at 114 after being hit by a car

LONDON>> Fauja Singh, an Indian-born runner nicknamed the Turbaned Torpedo who was believed to be the world’s oldest marathon runner, has died after being hit by a car. He was 114.

Local media in India reported that Singh sustained severe head injuries in a hit-and-run accident on Monday while he was crossing the road at his native village near Jalandhar in Punjab. He was taken to the hospital where he later died.

Singh became the oldest man to run a full marathon in 2011 at the age of 100 in Toronto. His accomplishment was not recognized by Guinness World Records because he did not have a birth certificate to prove his age.

Lottie Woad joining pro ranks in women’s golf after nearly winning Evian

LONDON>> Top-ranked amateur Lottie Woad announced Tuesday she will turn professional, two days after nearly winning a major title.

The 21-year-old Englishwoman followed her victory by six shots at the Women’s Irish Open on the Ladies European Tour on July 6 by finishing in third place — just one stroke off the pace — at the Evian Championship on Sunday.

She didn’t win any prize money at either tournament because she was amateur.

However, her good finish at the Evian secured enough points to seal LPGA Tour membership through its Elite Amateur Pathway. It means she is ditching her college career at Florida State University with one year left.