NAPLES, Fla. — Inside the beachside Ritz-Carlton resort along Florida’s southwestern coast, leaders of college athletics met in a second-floor conference room to discuss particulars about the industry’s future.
Those in the room were limited to five men: NCAA president Charlie Baker and commissioners from the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten.
Not in the room: the other 28 Division I commissioners who milled about on the first floor of the resort wondering the whereabouts of the other four.
“I didn’t even know they were meeting,” said one.
“Of course,” whispered another, “they are cutting us out of it.