The Western Athletic Conference said Tuesday night that it has cleared Utah Valley’s basketball teams to play in this week’s men’s and women’s tournaments after it issued a $1 million ultimatum over a legal dispute threatening to ban both teams.
The WAC issued the following statement after issuing the ultimatum earlier Tuesday, demanding that the school pay a $1 million conference exit fee.
“The Western Athletic Conference has been assured by the Utah court that the $1 million payment from Utah Valley University is in process, in accordance with the court’s directive, and will be completed in the morning, before tipoff of the first game tomorrow. Relying on this assurance, the WAC board of directors will allow Utah Valley to compete in the WAC basketball tournaments.”
Utah Valley issued the following statement to Yahoo Sports in response to the WAC’s.
“Since the Fourth District Court granted Utah Valley University’s motion for injunctive relief, Utah Valley University (UVU) has been coordinating with the court on the proper way to deposit the requested funds. No deposit deadline has been established by the Court, and UVU looks forward to competing in Las Vegas this week.”
The conference previously threatened to ban both the men’s and women’s teams from their respective tournaments if they did not pay before 5 p.m. MDT on Tuesday.
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Utah Valley’s men’s team is the No. 1 seed and its women’s team is seeded No. 4. The winner of each tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
What’s this all about?
The WAC set the ultimatum as part of an ongoing legal battle over a conference exit fee that threatened to end both programs’ seasons early and lock them out of a shot at playing in the NCAA tournaments.
The WAC issued the following statement from its board of directors Tuesday afternoon:
As of this time, Utah Valley University has not complied with a Utah judge’s order that directs Utah Valley University to place $1 million in escrow with the court — the amount of their agreed-upon exit fee from the Western Athletic Conference.
As the court-ordered preliminary inunction is contingent upon that directive, the WAC board of directors has instructed the commissioner to plan for the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments without Utah Valley State as it is not in good standing.
The conference will release new brackets if the university does not comply with the court’s directive within the order by 5 p.m. MT on Tuesday, March 10. The conference regrets that the intentional actions of Utah Valley University have caused uncertainty and harm for institutions, student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans across the WAC — including at Utah Valley University.
[Enter Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem now for your shot at $50K]
Utah Valley is leaving the WAC to join the Big West, effective July 1 of this year. On Feb. 2 the WAC sued Utah Valley, claiming that it had refused to pay a “contractually obligated exit fee in the amount of $1 million.”
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Per the lawsuit, the fee was due Jan. 31. Also according to the lawsuit, Utah Valley president Astrid Tuminez informed the WAC in writing on Jan. 22 that it “will not pay the exit fee.”
The lawsuit states that Utah Valley is no longer in good standing with the WAC because of its refusal to pay the exit fee. Because it is not in good standing, the WAC stated that Utah Valley was not permitted to participate in any remaining conference tournaments or to make any TV or radio appearances tied to the WAC’s media rights deals.
On Feb. 5, WAC commissioner Rebekah Ray issued a statement on social media that the conference had “removed all Utah Valley University home athletic contests from its broadcast schedule until further notice.”
“These events will not be available for broadcast on ESPN+ or otherwise,” Ray’s statement reads. “This action is required due to Utah Valley University’s failure to meet its obligations under WAC bylaws, resulting in its status as a member institution not in good standing.”
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Utah Valley granted multiple restraining orders
Utah Valley responded by filing for a restraining order against the WAC on Feb. 17 alongside a statement from spokesperson Sharon Turner.
“After making multiple attempts to come to an agreement with the WAC, we are taking legal steps to protect our rights and allow our student athletes to participate in post-season play and reinstate all broadcast rights so that student athletes from all WAC schools can cheer on their teams wherever they reside,” Turner wrote.
“Throughout this process, we remain steadfast in our commitment to placing the best interests of our student-athletes at the forefront of all we do. Because the matter is subject to active litigation, the university will not be commenting further at this time.”
The restraining order called for the reinstatement of the school’s broadcast rights and eligibility to compete in conference tournaments.
Utah’s Fourth District Court granted the restraining order via a 14-day injunction, and Utah Valley competed in the ensuing WAC indoor track tournament. Its men’s team won the championship, its first since 2015. The university’s broadcast rights were also reinstated for the period of the temporary restraining order.
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After the 14 days expired, Utah Valley filed for another restraining order to cover the timeframe of this week’s basketball championships. Per KSL in Salt Lake City, Utah’s Fourth District Court also granted that restraining order on Friday, clearing the way for Utah Valley’s men’s and women’s basketball teams to compete.
“Utah Valley University is pleased with the court’s decision to grant UVU’s motion for preliminary injunction in its lawsuit with the Western Athletic Conference,” Utah Valley wrote in a statement to KSL.
Then came Tuesday’s ultimatum from the WAC declaring that it still intended to ban Utah Valley from both tournaments if it didn’t pay. The two sides eventually agreed by Tuesday night that both teams will, indeed, play.
Both the men’s and women’s tournaments are scheduled to tip on Wednesday.