INDIANAPOLIS — Kevin Warren insists his confidence has always been there, never shaken but often stirred by the challenges and obstacles he faced during a bumpy transition as Big Ten commissioner.
From an end zone suite at Lucas Oil Stadium, he looked out toward the field late Tuesday afternoon, as the first day of the Big Ten’s football media kickoff wrapped up. It had been a good forward-facing day for the Big Ten and, perhaps more important, for Warren. At last.
This week, the league continued to celebrate the stunning and significant additions of USC and UCLA, which added Los Angeles to its coast-to-coast footprint. A major media rights agreement is on the horizon, likely to be announced by mid-August, with Warren telling ESPN, “I want people 20 years from now to look back and go, ‘Wow. They were ahead of the curve on that deal.'”
Warren also projected more comfort and poise, especially in his opening address, which focused on the Big Ten being bold, innovative and resistant to the bureaucracy that has held back college athletics.
