[July 28, 2011] Even Mack Brown has an issue with the Longhorn Network Tweet DALLAS, Jul 25, 2011 (The Oklahoman - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Every Big 12 football coach has a problem with the Longhorn Network. Including Mack Brown. The Texas football coach said his school brokered "an unbelievable partnership with ESPN," but there are drawbacks to the 20-year, $300 million deal. ESPN recently asked if it could televise live the Longhorns' first fall scrimmage, stating everyone would want to see it. "I told them, 'Yeah, Oklahoma, A&M, Kansas, Texas Tech, they're going to be sitting there grading our practice as we do it,'" Brown said. "We can't do that." Other Big 12 schools have concerns the Longhorn Network could affect competitive balance, the recent example being an ESPN official last week said "BEVO TV" wants to televise Texas high school football games. "It's a lack of common sense to think the network, the university's network, can have high school games on their network," said Missouri coach Gary Pinkel. "To me, there's no common sense there." Some predict Texas' network could change everything from recruiting to others saying it will have no bearing on what happens on the field. But the Longhorn Network is such a hot button topic it's on the Big 12 athletic directors' agenda at next week's meeting. Then on Aug. 22, most Division I schools will send representatives to an NCAA summit in Indianapolis to discuss TV network contracts. Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne, who said last week that televising games on The Longhorn Network would be a recruiting advantage for Texas, said the Aggies have investigated possibly having their own network. Another alternative is aligning with other members on a conference TV network. "I want to talk to my colleagues about that more than I want to talk to the media right now," Byrnes said Monday at the Westin Hotel. "Let's wait until we have the meetings." Byrnes said one of his concerns with any TV network is the trend of increased viewership and decreased attendance in sports. "I worry about that," Byrne said. "Everybody has a big flat screen (TV). If it's a bad day, we don't have to go out to the ballgame. We just stay home. I worry about overexposure. That's one of the issues. And I'm not just talking about college. There's a variety of things you have to look at." Everyone has concerns. Big 12 rivals fear potential competitive disadvantages. Texas fears ESPN will demand too much access. "It's a new world," said Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds. "We have to sort it out day by day. (Other Big 12 schools) know Texas. We'll play by the rules. There won't be any gray areas. If something is not good for the conference, we don't do the wrong thing." Brown said exposure on the network is an advantage for all UT sports, but airing high school games wouldn't effect recruiting. Brown's argument is all Big 12 schools have commitments from Texas high school players. "The people that would be hurt will be the high school coach, the players who 99 percent will not ever play college football," Brown said. "Those would be the ones -- the communities in Texas -- that couldn't showcase their programs." Big 12 opponents have a different viewpoint. The way they see it, Texas already owns a huge advantage by signing a lucrative deal six months ago. The original announcement was the Longhorn Network would televise one nonconference football game, a handful of men's nonconference basketball games and "Olympic" sports. "The good thing is, I don't have to worry about it," said Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. "I've got faith in our athletic director, Coach (Mike) Holder and our commissioner, Dan Beebe. I'm sure they'll make the best decisions." At the root of the other nine members' concerns is ESPN has a lot of clout and will invest more than $500 million in The Longhorn Network the next two decades. ESPN constructed a $15 million studio and hired 75 employees who will live in Austin. Counting salaries and production costs, the cable TV giant is projected to have at least $11 million overhead annually. The Longhorn Network hasn't signed any deals with cable companies. Eight years after its debut, the NFL Network still is battling for inclusion in cable deals around the country. Texas' market is vastly smaller. "It's not going to be an easy partnership, because they're paying us $300 million for access," Brown said. "We have to figure out what it means on a day-to-day basis. They want to (televise) some live practice. I'm thinking a young man gets hurt on live TV. It's not like you can say hold that tape." To see more of The Oklahoman, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsok.com. 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