Big Ten Commissioner James Delany, Rutgers University Director of Athletics Tim Pernetti and Rutgers University President Robert Barchi (Sapone)

Big Ten commissioner James Delany, then-Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti and Rutgers president Robert Barchi as the school announces it is leaving the Big East for the Big Ten.

(Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger)

NEWARK — Rutgers has reached a tentative agreement with the former Big East to settle a lawsuit over the $10 million exit fee the school was supposed to pay for taking its teams to the Big Ten.

University officials declined to discuss the terms of the agreement, which would clear the way for Rutgers to officially join the more prestigious and lucrative Big Ten, as planned, on July 1.

Rutgers Board of Governors members were given a briefing behind closed doors by Janine Purcaro, chief financial officer for intercollegiate athletics, board member Greg Brown said at a meeting Tuesday in Newark.

Rutgers and officials from the former Big East — the football programs splintered into what is now called the American Athletic Conference — have been tangling in federal court for months over the exit fee and other issues. In November, a federal judge transferred the case from New Jersey to Rhode Island, where the conference is based. A hearing scheduled for today was canceled.

Rutgers announced in 2012 it was leaving the Big East to accept an invitation to join the Big Ten. On the same day as the announcement, the university filed a lawsuit arguing it should not have to pay the full exit fee for leaving the Big East or wait the required 27 months to pull out because conference officials had bypassed those rules when other schools left.

Several universities paid lower fees or were given shortened waiting periods to depart the Big East, Rutgers’ lawyers have contended.

Before its settlement with Rutgers, the former Big East has received more than $50 million in exit fees:

• In February 2012, West Virginia paid a whopping $20 million to leave the Big East for the Big 12 — but that extra $10 million allowed West Virginia to leave immediately without having to fulfill any of the waiting period;

• In July 2012, Syracuse and Pittsburgh negotiated exit settlement fees of $7.5 million apiece and were permitted to leave in advance for the ACC as a result;

• That same month, TCU paid $5 million after agreeing to join the Big East and failing to do so, bolting instead for the Big 12;

• And this past November, Louisville secured its early move from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference with an $11 million payment — $4 million less than the conference had sought.

The Louisville agreement might provide the best indicator for what Rutgers might pay in the settlement; the negotiated fee is expected to be spread out over the next four years.

Previously, Rutgers accused the conference of holding back millions of dollars owed to the university for bowl payments and lost revenue because of a canceled home game against TCU.

Rutgers officials have said the university expects to pull in at least an additional $200 million over 12 years by joining the Big Ten and sharing in the conference’s profitable television contracts.

The Big Ten includes Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and other schools with large athletic programs. The $200 million estimate includes the extra money Rutgers expects to spend to transition its football and other teams into the Big Ten, university officials have said. It will take Rutgers six years to become a full member of the Big Ten and cash in on its full share of the profits.

"There is still a lot of work to be done. But the move into the Big Ten is unequivocally positive for Rutgers — academically, financially and athletically," Brown said in November.

Staff writer Tom Luicci contributed to this report.

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