Overview
- The conference is in advanced negotiations with Collegiate Athletic Solutions, backed by RedBird Capital and Weatherford Capital, with an outline shared with athletic directors on Friday as Moelis & Co. advises.
- The plan would seed a new Big 12 Properties entity with $25 million to house certain commercial rights, with CAS sharing in revenue generated by that platform.
- Current terms involve no equity stake and no grant-of-rights requirement for the conference’s 16 members, and schools could choose to opt in or out of the funds.
- The Big 12 confirmed the talks and said the partnership would preserve 100% of member equity, noting RedBird-related efforts have already delivered $145 million in contracted revenue, with a final decision expected in the coming weeks.
- The discussions follow Utah’s move toward an Otro Capital partnership and contrast with the Big Ten’s large financing effort that was recently paused after member pushback.