"I don't feel good about what happened," Beebe said. "I'm saddened by what occurred."
While he said he is optimistic about the Fiesta's future, Beebe stressed it is still too early to determine whether his conference and the Bowl Championship Series will continue to do business with the Arizona game.
The BCS issued a stern statement this week saying the Fiesta Bowl must prove it is worthy of remaining one of the four games that make up the system. BCS executive director Bill Hancock has said the BCS has the authority to revoke the Fiesta Bowl's BCS status even though the event has 3 years left on its contract.
The Big 12 and Fiesta Bowl have been partners since the BCS was implemented in 1998.
The report that resulted in the firing of Fiesta Bowl CEO and president John Junker on Tuesday revealed lavish expenditures over the past 10 years.
The report's most significant findings involved possible criminal misconduct under a system in which employees were strongly encouraged to make political donations to certain candidates. At least $46,539 in contributions then were reimbursed to the employees by the bowl, an apparent violation of state campaign finance law and IRS rules for non-profit corporations.
The Arizona attorney general's office is investigating.
Meanwhile, the Fiesta Bowl canceled this year's "Fiesta Frolic," a gathering at a resort for athletic directors and head football coaches, television executives and others with a strong business interest in major college football.
In other college football news:
* Texas Southern fired football coach Johnnie Cole as it anticipates an NCAA report detailing major rules violations involving recruiting, unethical conduct and academic inconsistencies.
* UCLA offensive lineman Jeff Baca is out indefinitely after surgery on his broken left ankle, suffered in practice Thursday.
* Alabama linebacker Alex Watkins had knee surgery and will miss the rest of spring practice.
Philly File
* Registration is open for the 2011 Philadelphia Marathon, Half Marathon and Rothman Institute 8K, which are expected to draw a combined 25,000 competitors and 60,000 spectators on race weekend, Nov. 18-20. The fee to run in the marathon is $85 until April 15, $95 through April 30, $110 during May, and $125 from June 1 to Nov. 1, or until the race reaches capacity. Half Marathon fees start at $65 and rise to $100 by Nov. 1; fees for the 8K start at $30 and rise to $45 by the deadline. For more information, visit
www.philadelphiamarathon.com.
* Temple senior rightfielder Ryan Ferguson extended his hitting streak to 25, tying a school record with a first-inning single, but the Owls fell to host Dayton, 9-1.
Sport Stops
*
Julia Mancuso added to her national record with her 12th win at U.S. championships in Winter Park, Colo., turning in a swift second run on soft snow to beat
Sarah Schleper in the giant slalom.
* Rafael Nadal advanced to the final at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., by beating Roger Federer, 6-3, 6-2. Novak Djokovic beat Mardy Fish, 6-3, 6-1, in the other semifinal. *
