“I promise I’m not going to Morgantown,” Arizona State Vice President for University Athletics/Athletics Director Ray Anderson said to the media alongside University President Michael Crow on Saturday. This was just a day after ASU announced it was moving to the Big 12.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“I promise I’m not going to Morgantown. I’m going to assign that to (deputy athletic director) Jean Boyd. He can go to Morgantown. But send me to Texas and the rivalry with Arizona and start a new one with BYU and Utah and Colorado,” Anderson said.
Although it seemed like Anderson was joking, he faced a lot of backlash for his comments after they went viral online.
West Virginia Fans pic.twitter.com/2Efmif12K7
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 6, 2023
Anderson went on Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta show this morning and apologized for what he said.
Arizona State VP for university athletics Ray Anderson says he called West Virginia AD Wren Baker to apologize for his comments on Morgantown and that he looks forward to visiting. pic.twitter.com/qH2hVWmofz
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) August 9, 2023
“Although those comments were said in jest and taken out of context, they were clumsy comments from me that I sincerely regret,” Anderson said. “Because I offended some people when no offense was intended and for that, I apologize. I sincerely do.”
Anderson said that he also called West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker to personally apologize.
“I called Wren on Monday and we had a chance to talk and I explained the context,” Anderson said. “He graciously accepted my apology and certainly said he’d pass it on to their president Gordon Gee, who I know.”
There seems to be no bad blood between the two of them.
“We shared, very frankly, our mutual excitement about us being in the same conference going forward,” Anderson said. “We shared a few laughs because he made me promise that I would absolutely come to Morgantown many times over the course of the next few years.”
How far ASU has to travel to West Virginia
West Virginia is the furthest place in the Big 12 that ASU will have to travel by air (5 hours and 28 minutes) when the school makes the jump next year.
Here are all of the distances ASU will have to travel in the Big 12 as compared to the Pac-12:
Here’s the distances & air travel times for Arizona State in Big 12 compared w/Pac-12. Arizona’s would be similar & there’s not that much difference pic.twitter.com/Hlp7ScfGhr
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 6, 2023
“I must admit I do not like cold weather,” Anderson said. “And it gets really cold there in the winter time, and that’s what I was jesting with President Crow about. But that being said, I’ve been there. It’s a beautiful, beautiful college town. They’ve got a nice stadium there. And I’m telling, their folks are as gracious with their hospitality as any you will find.”
Anderson added: “I know they’re good folks back there and no offense was intended, and I look forward to visiting.”
Watch the full interview here with Anderson and Dr. Crow:
WATCH: Arizona State University President Michael Crow and AD Ray Anderson Discuss Move to Big 12
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Brendan Mau is a college sports insider and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
