At 4:02 p.m. on Friday, the Pac-12 Conference announced that several of its sports will adopt conference-only schedules this fall, as the country continues to combat the coronavirus.
At 5:31 p.m., the conference sent out a separate statement.
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a conference release.
Scott, 55, was reportedly tested late this week after experiencing mild flu-like symptoms. As a result of the positive test, he is self-quarantining at the direction of his physician. He is continuing to carry out his normal work duties remotely.
A former professional tennis player, Scott was named commissioner of the Pac-12 (then the Pac-10) in July 2009. The New York City native graduated from Harvard in 1986 and previously served as president and COO of ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Properties and chairman and CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association. Scott and his wife, Cybille, live in Danville, California, and have three children: Alexander, Sebastien and Alannah.
The state of California has reported 304,297 cases of COVID-19 and 6,851 deaths, as of Thursday. Gov. Gavin Newsome added on Thursday that the state’s most recent seven-day average topped 8,000 new cases per day, a new high. California’s death toll on Wednesday (149) and Thursday (137) are also the two highest on record, according to The Guardian.
During Scott’s tenure as Pac-12 commissioner, the conference expanded to 12 members in 2011 and added an annual football championship game the same year. In a statement on Friday explaining the decision to pivot to a conference-only schedule, he said that “the health and safety of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports continues to be our number one priority.”
Perhaps, upon further inspection, Scott was also subtly referring to himself.
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