Three Mountain West schools leaving for the Pac-12 have filed an updated lawsuit accusing the conference of improperly withholding tens of millions of dollars and misleading them about a covert plan to fast-track the addition of Grand Canyon University. Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State filed the 37-page complaint Thursday in Colorado federal court, according to documents obtained by The Athletic.
The lawsuit also names Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez as a defendant. The schools claim the conference and Nevarez “intentionally and fraudulently” deprived them of their membership rights, resulting in significant financial harm and negatively impacting student-athletes’ opportunities during their final season in the Mountain West.
At the heart of the dispute is the withholding of millions in payments, including Boise State’s College Football Playoff revenue from its 2024 appearance in the expanded 12-team field. The complaint also highlights unpaid travel reimbursements and withheld NCAA distributions for financial aid, academic support and athlete welfare programs.
Although Fresno State — another school leaving the Mountain West — has expressed concern over the withheld NCAA funds, it is not included in the lawsuit.
The schools argue the Mountain West’s exit fees — at least $19 million per institution — are invalid and should not be enforced. Complicating matters, the Mountain West is simultaneously pursuing roughly $55 million in “poaching fees” from the Pac-12 for adding these schools plus Fresno State and San Diego State. Those claims are also contested in a separate ongoing legal battle.
The Mountain West responded that the departing schools were involved in adopting the exit fee bylaws and had previously sought to enforce them against San Diego State when it tried to leave two years ago. According to The Athletic, the conference called it “inconsistent and unjust”…
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