Boatright: Athletics report on hold while conference meetings finish around the country

The College Sports Solutions report on Wichita State athletics may not be released for another week or longer, interim athletic director Darron Boatright said.

Boatright, on Friday, said the consultants are waiting on conference meetings that are ongoing this month. Early June is the traditional time for conference administrators, presidents and coaches to gather — Missouri Valley Conference administrators met last week and the presidents council meets later this month — to discuss issues and set policy.

“Some of the conference meetings that are continuing to linger on, that could affect any possible outcomes are probably going to delay it,” he said.

College Sports Solutions, an Atlanta firm, first met with president John Bardo and Boatright in early February to start its look into WSU’s athletic future. WSU charged the consultants to investigate possible options for a new conference and adding sports, including football. WSU originally expected the report at the end of May or early June. WSU paid CSS $60,000 for the four-month study.

The CSS report won’t include recommendations or conclusions. WSU views the report as a marker in the longer process of evaluating the athletic department. In December, Bardo said the evaluation of the athletic department could last a year.

Boatright doesn’t expect the report to satisfy all the curiosity about WSU’s options when it comes to specifics about meetings and conversations with other conferences by the consultants.

“There won’t be a lot of tangible information about conference realignment, just because those conversations are so private,” he said. “There won’t be lot of things documented in there about conversations that have been ongoing … just from a privacy standpoint and a confidentiality standpoint, that wouldn’t be welcomed very much.”

When the report is issued — Boatright said it will likely be made available online — fans shouldn’t expect the document to mark an immediate change in the athletic department, either in conference affiliation or adding sports.

“We have not ordered any confetti cannons,” he said. “This is just going to be information and it’s the type of information people on a college campus generally get excited about because there’s research that’s been done and there’s up-to-date information.”

This story was originally published June 5, 2016 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Boatright: Athletics report on hold while conference meetings finish around the country."