George Kliavkoff salary: How much did the former Pac-12 commissioner make?

George Kliavkoff's time as the commissioner of the PAC-12 conference is over. On Friday, the PAC 12 board of directors announced that Kliavkoff will be departing from his role on Feb. 29.

“The Pac-12 Board of Directors announced today that the Conference and George Kliavkoff have mutually agreed to part ways, effective February 29, 2024. More details about the new leadership of the Pac-12 will be announced next week.”

This is not surprising, considering the current state of the PAC 12 conference, but how much did Kliavkoff make as the PAC 12 commissioner?

---

How much money did George Kliavkoff make?

During his first year as commissioner, Kliavkoff was reported to earn $1.8 million, according to the Mercury Times. In 2023, though, he reportedly made $3.6 million a year.

That's similar to that of the other Power 5 commissioners. For example, USA Today say that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey reportedly earns $3.7 million a year.

Kliavkoff was signed to a five-year contract that started in 2021, but he will not see that out due to his release. So, where did it go wrong?

---

The problem with the Pac-12

Kliavkoff was a stranger to the world of college sports, having spent most of his time in sports entertainment and media.

It could have meant that Kliavkoff would have been the perfect person to get the PAC 12 media deal the conference sorely needed to catch up with their fellow Power 5 conferences. That did not happen, though.

Kliavkoff struggled to get a suitable media deal. So, one year after he took the job, UCLA and USC announced their intention to leave the conference. That opened a pandora's box, and in the coming months, the PAC 12's big names opted out, with only Washington State and Oregon State remaining.

The inability to obtain a suitable media deal in a landscape where money is an increasingly important part of the sport meant that teams no longer see the PAC 12 as a suitable conference to play in.

As for the two remaining programs, what the once-historic conference will look like in the fall remains unknown. There's one thing that's certain, though: George Kliavkoff will not be in charge.