INDIANAPOLIS -- When former Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren surprisingly opted to depart one of the two most powerful jobs in college sports for a position with the Chicago Bears front office in early 2023, the league made a second consecutive unconventional commissioner hire tabbing former television executive Tony Petitti as the league's seventh executive leader.
Now approaching his 100th day in his new position, Petitti -- for the first time -- spoke on the future of the conference he is leading through a contentious time in college sports.
Continued dialogue about conference consolidation, federal input on name, image and likeness legislation and potentially the transfer portal could be coming soon. Petitti, in his new role, is tasked with communicating the wants and desires of the Big Ten's Council of Presidents and Chancellors with other influential leaders in college athletics like SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.
"Meaningful collaboration with the commissioners of other conferences and President [Charlie] Baker of the NCAA combined with legislative support from Congress is essential to address the changing landscape of college athletics, most importantly to preserve the core mission of providing academic opportunities through athletics," Pettiti said on Wednesday at Big Ten Football Media Days.
Wednesday's setting was an open floor for Petitti to discuss what has become the present of college athletics. For decades, the NCAA postponed plans for student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness. And then, in 2021, it became too late for the NCAA to create a framework. The result? A free market that allows athletes to receive payment that is largely unregulated.
"It is important to say that much of what is happening now under the guise of NIL is not true NIL," Petitti explained but rather a move to a pay-for-play system that is driving recruitment and the transfer portal. This system operates away from and without institutional control, nor does it comply with Title IX."
Nationally, athletes have allegedly been lured into the transfer portal in hopes of receiving lucrative NIL payments at their new institution.
"One of the things that we're most focused on is the incentives for students that are considering leaving," Pettiti said. "When you have a system that's providing potential benefits for entering the portal, a lot of athletes, unfortunately, aren't realizing those benefits when they enter the portal. There is a little bit of the grass is greener on the other side."
In prep recruiting, similar instances are supposedly occurring, including former Florida quarterback commit Jaden Rashada being offered more than 10 million dollars.
"When I say 'true NIL' I mean the ability of a student-athlete to take advantage of their marketing rights from either local or national companies," Petitti said. "That depends on your ability, your exposure you receive, the strength of your social media, all those factors. All of that is great. That should be unlimited.
"What we're seeing, though, is a sense of, because there's been a lack of enforcement around traditional things like inducements for pay-for-play, we're seeing money move in different places. It's away from our member institutions."
Consequently, the NCAA -- and college athletics leaders from across the country -- have asked for congressional involvement in NIL regulation. In recent days two separate bipartisan NIL-based legislation plans have been released to the public.
"I think what we can do is, number one, we have very long-standing rules to address this. We need to have the ability to enforce our rules," Pettiti said. "Partly we need support from Congress to be able to be put in a position to do that without litigation or anything hanging over our heads."
The first bill, put together by Sen. Cory Booker, Jerry Moran and Richard Blumenthal would provide college athletes with protections for health care, eligibility promises despite entering a professional draft, scholarship guarantees and a database of NIL deals and a clearing house for agent approval.
On Tuesday, Sen. Joe Manchin and former college football coach Tommy Tuberville introduced a bill that would supersede any state laws and lead the enforcement and investigation of NIL rules through a public registry of NIL deals. The bill also provides increased healthcare for athletes but would restrict the ability of athletes to enter the transfer portal.
"Members of the Congress and their staffs are engaged," Petitti said. "And there's real momentum for bipartisan legislation that benefits student-athletes, protects the academic athletic model, and recognizes that a national competitive landscape needs national rules that can be enforced.
"We are pleased that Congress is seeking to ensure that critical student-athlete welfare benefits, like continuing healthcare, lifelong learning, and mental health resources, are broadly provided."
The bill proposed by Manchin and Tuberville, though, would restrict a revenue-sharing model between schools and athletes, potentially leading to athletes becoming employees of universities.
"What I will say about that is I think there's a commitment to understanding that student-athletes can and should be entitled to additional benefits," Petitti said. "What form that takes, how that's tied to academics, all of that needs a lot more discussion. I don't want to predict when that can happen in terms of a time frame."
While the monumental changes of athlete pay and free transfer for all athletes have been dynamic changes in college athletics, 2024 presents another round of monumental differences.
Texas and Oklahoma depart the Big 12 for the SEC. USC and UCLA leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. And developments on Wednesday and Thursday could lead Colorado to leave the Pac-12 to return to the Big 12, a conference they were a founding member of back in the 1990s. Does the Big Ten have further plans for expansion?
"What I'll say is all the direction I'm getting from leadership, our presidents and chancellors, athletic directors, is to focus on UCLA and USC," Pettiti said. "I'm proud of the scheduling format we created in football. I think it touches on all the right things."
Not necessarily a complete closing of the door on the Big Ten expanding past 16 members, Though, it doesn't currently appear the conference has expectations of increasing in the immediate future. Could changes in the Pac-12's structure this week change Pettiti's opinion or the Big Ten chancellors and presidents? Time will tell.
The Big Ten is also still putting the finishing touches on the league's $7 billion dollar television contract with FOX, CBS, NBC and, of course, Big Ten Network with Pettiti saying that "significant progress" has been made and that he appreciates the "spirit of collaboration" from the networks.
No longer in agreement with ESPN, the Big Ten opted for broadcast television, and the league believes it will pay dividends with about 34 games on broadcast networks, more than any other conference. Next season, in 2024 when the contracts are fully implemented, there are expected to be about 45 games on broadcast TV each season.
"Big Ten fans will move seamlessly from FOX to CBS to NBC," Pettiti said.
He's only been in position for about 90 days, but on Wednesday Pettiti was clear about the direction he belives college athletics -- and his league -- must lead heading into another new era that begins in 2024, one Pettiti hopes includes national championships for Big Ten schools.
"With committed leadership from our COPC and ADs, energized conference staff, the addition of USC and UCLA, new and exciting media partners and expanded platforms, support from our coaches with the goal of winning national championships in all sports, and a strong belief in the academic athletic model, I believe that we are really just getting started."
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