Texas A&M says it has not sent a letter of withdrawal to the Big 12 Conference.

The brief statement by school spokesman Jason Cook in College Station, Texas, comes a day after The New York Times said in a story posted on its Web site Monday night that university President R. Bowen Loftin sent a letter to Missouri Chancellor and Big 12 board chairman Brady Deaton to inform the league it was leaving. The report cited two unidentified college officials with direct knowledge of the decision.

The university said Monday it had received a letter from Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe outlining the withdrawal procedure should the Aggies decide to leave the league.

The Aggies are interested in joining the Southeastern Conference. Last week they formally told Beebe they are exploring their options and asked for the conference to outline the process if they decide to leave.