SportsPulse: Miss college football action already? Well, Trysta Krick and Paul Myerberg tell us what to look forward to next season. USA TODAY
Jim Delany, who has spent three decades as Big Ten commissioner and wielded significant power over the college sports landscape, announced Monday he will retire when his contract expires on June 30, 2020.
The announcement was not particularly surprising. Though Delany never acknowledged his retirement timeline publicly, USA TODAY Sports reported back in 2016 he would leave at the end of his contract. Given his age (Delany turned 70 last year) and the status of the Big Ten’s television contract (it will expire in 2023), it makes sense for Delany to leave in 2020 and hand off the next media rights negotiation and the potential issue of realignment to his successor.