re: Update pg 4: Boise now suing MWC - Boise State/MWC marriage in serious trouble

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Boise State University has filed a lawsuit against the Mountain West Conference over the new TV contract announced earlier this month.

Boise State claims that the Mountain West breached its contract with the school by signing the deal without the Broncos’ approval. The lawsuit also says that the conference has decided to put an end to two benefits the school negotiated as part of its 2012 deal to stay in the Mountain West, including a $1.8 million annual bonus.

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“Boise State’s decision to join the conference was predicated on a number of negotiated provisions, including the right to separately negotiate material terms of media rights relating to our home games,” the university said in the statement distributed to the media by a spokesman. “This is stated in our conference agreement and cannot be changed by any vote of the membership or conflicting agreement. We will not support any change to this provision and are in the process of weighing our options to move forward.”

The Boise State-Mountain West terms sheet dated Dec. 31, 2012, that governed Boise State’s future relationship with the conference spells out the Broncos’ rights and obligations with regards to the TV contract.

“Boise State shall provide the MWC the exclusive television broadcast rights to its intercollegiate athletic events, including but not limited to home football games, each season,” the terms sheet reads. “In return, MWC will ensure such Boise State home football games are not part of, nor granted under, any current or future MWC conference-wide television rights contract … . MWC will ensure that the Boise State home football games are sold as a separate package. Boise State and MWC must mutually agree to whom such Boise State home football game rights are licensed and to the material terms of such license … .”

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