Big East CEOs OK Commish To Pursue Expansion

WASHINGTON (AP) — The presidents and chancellors of the 14 remaining Big East members and TCU have authorized Commissioner John Marinatto to "aggressively pursue discussions" with certain schools interested in joining the league.

The league released a statement after Sunday's meeting at Georgetown University in Washington. The meeting had been scheduled before Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced last month they will leave the conference to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The original purpose of the meeting was to discuss the conference's upcoming television rights negotiations, but the defections forced expansion onto the agenda.

The Big East says the presidents also are "actively considering changes to the conference's governing bylaws to further solidify the membership of the conference."