UCLA just cut ties with its athletic director, Martin Jarmond, after more than six years. But what really blew up the internet wasn’t just the firing. Hours later, Rep. Michael Baumgartner, a Republican from Washington, quoted a post about Jarmond’s ouster with some seriously colorful language of his own, straight up calling him “a moron.” This isn’t just spicy; it shows how raw feelings still are, three years after the Pac-12 started falling apart.
The Congressman Drops a Bomb
Rep. Baumgartner’s quote post didn’t mince words. “Good,” it started, about Jarmond’s firing, and then went full throttle: “Any individual to participated in the creation of transcontinental athletic conferences that repeatedly send student athletes flying coast to coast to play sports like volleyball on a weeknight is a moron who should be driven out of college athletics and no where near decision making at taxpayer owned public universities.” He even threw an American flag emoji on the end. Talk about a mic drop! It is eyebrow-raising to see a sitting congressman actively celebrate someone’s firing like this, but when you look at the history, you get why the anger is still simmering.
The Pac-12 Collapse’s Lingering Ghost
Jarmond is widely seen as the guy at UCLA who pushed the school, alongside crosstown rival USC, to jump ship from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten back in the summer of 2022. That move blindsided the rest of the conference and then-Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff. Jarmond was out there telling ESPN, “College athletics is changing, and UCLA has always led in times of change. For the sake of our student-athletes, and for preserving the legacy of Bruin excellence, we cannot afford to stand still.” But the Pac-12 couldn’t stand still either; it spiraled for over a year after that, with a TV rights deal falling apart. Eight of the remaining ten schools fled. Oregon and Washington joined the Big Ten, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah went to the Big 12, and Stanford and Cal found a life raft with the ACC. That left Oregon State and Washington State completely on their own.
This isn’t some political spat, folks. This is a sitting Congressman, a Pullman-born Washington State graduate, throwing down because his alma mater is facing less TV money, less national prestige, and fewer postseason chances in the new-look Pac-12. The bitterness is real, and it is here to stay. With Washington State starting play in a conference dropped from “Power” ranks this fall, it’s clear the fallout from that 2022 move is still shaping the future, and Rep. Baumgartner’s words are a stark reminder of the massive stakes for schools like Wazzu. Oh, and for Jarmond? The move to the Big Ten didn’t even help UCLA’s athletics budget, according to school Chancellor Julio Frenk. So much for preserving that “Bruin excellence.”
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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