AUSTIN — The debate about high school football games on the Longhorn Network is finally settled — at least until next year.

The Big 12’s athletic directors unanimously agreed to a moratorium on high school content delivered on institutional or conference media platforms for a minimum of one year, the league announced in a release Monday. League athletic directors converged in Dallas for a meeting specifically designed to address questions other schools had about the Longhorn Network (LHN), the 24-hour Texas-themed cable channel set to be launched by ESPN on Aug. 26.

Earlier this summer, Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne was among those who expressed concern about the potential recruiting advantages of broadcasting high school games on a network devoted to one institution. Conference members also were taken aback by ESPN’s announcement that LHN would not only broadcast UT’s season-opening football game against Rice but also a to-be-determined Big 12 game.

Monday, the athletic directors agreed a second football game on LHN is acceptable as long as both schools and the conference office agree.

According to the release, no distribution of high school content will be allowed even after the one-year moratorium unless the NCAA rules it is acceptable. UT is sending representatives to an NCAA summit on the issue Aug. 22, but it might take months for the NCAA to rule on the subject.

"The ADs recognize that this issue is complex and involves a detailed analysis of the recruiting model in many areas, including existing NCAA legislation related to the publicity of prospective student-athletes and the rapidly evolving world of technology,” the Big 12’s statement read. “This process will take an extended period of analysis.”

A spokesman for UT athletic director DeLoss Dodds said Dodds would have no comment on Monday’s meeting. Last week at Big 12 media days, Dodds said UT would have no objections to whatever the conference and the NCAA decided regarding LHN.

Smiley N. Pool/Chronicle

ESPN issued a statement after Monday’s Big 12 announcement that read: “As we’ve said, we recognize the need for ongoing discussion to properly address the questions raised by the conference. Longhorn Network will televise unprecedented coverage of more than 200 UT athletics events annually plus a variety of dynamic, relevant programming.”

The Chronicle’s David Barron contributed to this report.

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