ESPN’s Darren Rovell on ASU-Wisconsin controversy: ‘This can’t happen’

It was four days ago, but plenty of people are still buzzing about the unfortunate ending to Arizona State’s 32-30 win over the Wisconsin Badgers at Sun Devil Stadium.

We’ve heard from coaches, players, analysts and well, everyone who saw the game live or on television.

Now, we hear from the business sector.

“The Pac-12 can not allow the officials walk off the field, and they can not allow the teams to walk off the field,” ESPN sports business analyst Darren Rovell told Doug and Wolf Wednesday on Arizona Sports 620. “On Monday morning, (commissioner Larry Scott) is going to come and say ‘yeah, the officials should have acted with more expediency.’ That’s just not acceptable.”

Scott issued a vague statement Monday in which he admitted the conference had “reprimanded” the officiating crew that worked the game without giving any details of their exact punishment.

“I’ve never played football, but from a business standpoint, I do think I have some authority, and I would say that this can’t happen,” Rovell said. “This is like the NCAA vacating championships after there’s been some sort of violation five years later — it doesn’t matter.

“If there’s any major question, you can’t allow this game to end. You have to figure out the what the solution is right there.”

As far as backlash from the game, Rovell doesn’t expect Big Ten teams to stop traveling to Pac-12 venues for football, and thinks that the timing of the controversy will make it go away.

“If this had happened at the end of the season, which would obviously be a fluke in scheduling, because that doesn’t really happen, I think this would be much more of a situation.”

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