Here's exactly what San Diego State and the Mountain West are sending each other

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On June 16, Pete Thamel of ESPN, among others, reported that San Diego State president Adela de la Torre sent a letter to Mountain West Conference presidents detailing that the school “intends to resign from the Mountain West Conference”, and wanted to discuss their exit fee obligations. A few days later, Multiple outlets also reported that the MWC rejected San Diego State’s requests for exit fee flexibility, and in fact, accepted San Diego State’s resignation.

You’ll be forgiven for thinking that San Diego State is now a member of Schrödinger's Athletic Conference, where they are both in and out of the Mountain West, depending on which lawyer is asking.

While multiple outlets have referenced the correspondence between the Mountain West and San Diego State, I do not believe anybody has published it yet. I filed an Open Records Request for the letters and can share them, along with what I’ve been hearing about the stand-off.

When I called for comment, A San Diego State University spokesman told me that “they cannot offer additional comment on conference realignment matters.”

Here, dated June 13, 2023, is the first letter, sent to “Mountain West Conference and All Members” from SDSU president Adela de la Torre:

To my layman’s reading, that certainly looks like an official withdrawal letter. The letter is asking for some flexibility surrounding the specific effective date, given “unforeseen delays involving other collegiate athletic conferences beyond our control”, a note that almost certainly is talking about the Pac-12’s delay in formally signing a media rights deal. If San Diego State formally gives notice before June 30 and wishes to play elsewhere for the 2024-2025 season, their buyout fee doubles.

The letter also asks to “discuss the Exit Fee”, noting that the MWC is about to enjoy a windfall of NCAA Tournament Unit revenue that SDSU will not get to enjoy.

Here’s how the MWC responded, dated June 14, 2023,

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