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New Big East official says little about Pitt exit
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Joe Bailey, interim commissioner of the Big East, offered little insight Wednesday about whether Pitt and Syracuse will be able to leave the league early, as his predecessor had indicated earlier this winter.
Bailey replaced John Marinatto on an interim basis, following Marinatto's resignation on Monday after a year marked by change and tumult in the conference.
The former NFL executive made his first comments in his new role in a conference call with reporters Wednesday but said he simply could not say if Pitt and Syracuse would be able to leave in July 2013, skirting the conference's 27-month exit clause.
"I wish I could see around corners, but I can't," said Bailey. "So really, I would not want to in any way speculate what's going to happen in regards to those schools, either way. It's not my position to think that way. I think you have to recognize that my role is this transition role, transformational role, preparing this particular position for another person."
In February Marinatto, speaking about Pitt and Syracuse, said that "given the strength and speed of our expansion efforts, I think our board might be open to a discussion about 2013."
Bailey did not indicate when those discussions might heat up again and said he may have a better sense in the next few weeks.
First Published May 9, 2012 4:37 pm
