He's referencing exit fees because MU is contemplating leaving. It doesn't mean you're not members in good standing and it's not throwing you out to the wolves.

But MU is also going out of its way to make sure the Big 12 knows it wants to leave. Why leak info about wanting into the Big 10.....why leak info about how much money you'll make moving to the SEC....why vote to look at moving conferences?

It's not like MU has been sitting there saying "We are members of the Big 12 and are looking forward to the expansion of the conference."

Well this is interesting....

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2011/10/big_east_continues_to_explore.html

"Rutgers’ Board of Governors is expected to give athletic director Tim Pernetti the authority to pursue conference options during a regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday."

Maybe the dominoes aren't stopping with Mizzou.

Is the ACC ready to go up to 16? Is Big Ten thinking about a move?

Rutgers could get the excitement going again.

Its more like both sides lose. The Big XII might get a few bucks, but at what cost? When you're trying to sell yourself as an attractive, stable conference, do you really want to be publicly fighting with a charter member who wants nothing more than to get the hell away from you?

If you're considering joining a gym, and when you walk into the business office, 25% of the membership has just left for better gyms, and another is yelling about getting screwed because the gym won't let them cancel their membership even though the place is falling apart, are you joining that gym?

The programs B12 is going for are going to love this gym because it's going to make them a shit ton more money than their previous gym.

It's not like B12 is planning on plucking B10 members.

I don't think they're too worried about their "image" at this point.

Who says we're contemplating leaving? Nobody who is authorized to make that decision has said that. At worst, that should be between the Big XII and Mizzou. Neinas shouldn't be airing dirty laundry when Mizzou has said nothing other than "we are proud members of the Big XII".

Mizzou hasn't said that.

Neinas is not airing dirty laundry. He's addressing an issue. All he said is he doesn't believe MU would leave the conference until after 2012 due to the steep penalties they would incur as a result. He's not calling your school names, dog. I don't know why this is bothering you so much.

My guess would be that those leaks are coming from people within Mizzou that don't want to leave the Big 12, not from people who do.

Do you think Neinas is stepping out of line by claiming a school would probably not leave the conference due to steep exit fees?

Yes, he is. The public message should be about discussing any concerns Mizzou may have and trying to resolve them, not about threatening a penalty many times larger than what anyone else has incurred. He's gone from "you don't need to leave" to "screw you guys, we're going to use the bylaws to hold you here for 2012".

Its fine to talk bluntly behind the scenes, but when you do it publicly in front of the media, you don't give Mizzou any way to save face if they stay. That might sound like stupid prideful garbage, but if its close to a 50/50 decision, which this would be only at best, then public financial threats would be my tiebreaker.

you are right, this is very interesting. They would not be doing this unless Rutgers had a solid offer from the ACC or the B1G.

I disagree. I would have no problem if he said he did not believe that Kansas would leave the conference due to the steep exit fees.

Just like Kansas, no one in position to do so at MU has claimed that MU is contemplating leaving.

As far as I'm concerned it's just meaningless noise. He has to respond to inquiries from the media and I would expect someone in his position to play the role of someone who couldn't possibly see Mizzou deciding to leave the conference even if he actually knows they're already gone. (I'm not saying that I know they're gone, I'm just saying they might be and he might already know it).