OU, Texas Board of Regents Call Special Meeting For Friday

OU and Texas, just a day after informing the Big 12 they don’t intend to renew their grant of rights with the league when it expires in 2025 and minutes before formally seeking membership into the SEC, announced Tuesday they will hold separate meetings on Friday with their respective board of regents to discuss conference membership.

OU’s meeting agenda calls it a “special meeting” of the regents with one item on the agenda: “Athletics Conference Membership.”

“Discussion, consideration and potential action concerning the University of Oklahoma’s athletics conference membership,” the agenda reads. “Executive Session pursuant to 25 O.S. § 307(B)(4) may be proposed for confidential communications between the Board and its attorney(s) concerning potential claims, where the Board’s attorney has determined disclosure will seriously impair the ability of the Board to process the claim(s) in the public interest as authorized under 25 O.S. § 307(B)(4)”

Texas’ meeting agenda detailed an urgency to meet Friday, before the next regularly-scheduled regents meet, to discuss three topics: 1. Individual Personnel Matters Relating to Officers or Employees; 2. Consultation with Attorney Regarding Legal Matters or Pending and/or Contemplated Litigation or Settlement Offers; and 3. Deliberation Regarding Security Devices or Security Audits. The second topic added the following details:

2a. U. T. System Board of Regents: Discussion with Counsel on pending legal issues

2b. U. T. Austin: Discussion and possible appropriate action related to legal issues associated with athletic contracts and conference membership matters

The specific details of these two separate meetings remain unclear. But action could be warranted, especially with the news coming out Tuesday that the SEC’s chancellors and presidents will meet Thursday to discuss the potential of adding OU and Texas, and with news also breaking that both OU and Texas have formally submitted petitions to the SEC for membership.