Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott doubled down on Saturday night.

Late last week, when asked if the conference instant-replay policy existed anywhere in writing, Scott said, "I don't know if there's a manual or not, but there's a well-established procedure."

On Saturday, Scott said to media in Pullman for the Oregon-Washington State game: "I had a chance to look into it ... there's an NCAA rule in writing, but there is no manual. I'm not aware of any manual that exists in our conference or nationally."

Turns out, Scott is wrong. The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained a printed copy of the 2018 version of that instant-replay manual, titled: "The Pac-12 Conference Instant Replay Manual."

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A close examination of the 11-page publication could help explain why the conference finds itself embroiled in this instant-replay public-relations nightmare in the first place. The conference replay manual doesn't include vital components of the instant-replay procedure, is ambiguous and leaves a wide berth for interpretation and instruction that comes from the Pac-12's centralized command center.

On Saturday, Scott said he doesn't believe the conference has a credibility issue. He says the replay-review mistake that was made during the Sept. 21 WSU-USC game was an isolated breach of instant-replay protocol. However, Scott has repeatedly declined to allow media to examine replay reports from any other games.

Earlier this month, a Yahoo Sports report revealed that Pac-12 General Counsel Woodie Dixon overruled the in-stadium replay official and the conference Command Center on a controversial targeting call during the Sept. 21 game. The replay official indicated in his game report that he was "overruled by a third party."

Said Scott on Saturday: "There was a mistake made."

That error in Scott's view?

"Our replay officials thought they were being instructed to make a call. That is not what was intended and let me be clear that's not what Mr. Dixon thought he was doing. There was a miscommunication there."

The printed "Pac 12 Conference Instant Replay Manual" obtained by The Oregonian is explicit about which party has the authority on instant-replay calls. It reads: "The Replay Official is the only person in the booth with the authority to make a decision on a play, however all reviews will occur as a collaborative effort with the centralized replay command center in San Francisco."

It creates a complex dynamic and a conflict of interest with Dixon involved. He's the football supervisor, which gives him command over the Replay Official he's supposed to be collaborating with. Also, he has no replay training and no officiating experience. It amounts to a poorly designed process, at best. One that raises questions about the formation of the protocol and how many other occasions Dixon may have involved himself.

There is no language anywhere in the conference's printed instant-replay policy that indicates what the Replay Official should do if he/she disagrees with the command center during that collaborative effort. There's no printed guidance offered should an untrained supervisor such as Dixon offer his own input, as he apparently did on Sept. 21. The document defines roles for employees working in the replay booth, but doesn't outline the collaborative process at all.

There's no mention in the policy about how the in-stadium Replay Official should treat input from the Command Center.

On page two, the policy reads: "It is imperative that everyone in the replay booth focuses on the responsibilities that relate to their position. Teamwork is important in the booth but getting involved in someone else's job functions at the cost of your own is detrimental to the overall replay process."

Scott said on Saturday that he'd already made immediate changes to the instant-replay protocol. However, The Oregonian/OregonLive has learned that as of Saturday's round of conference games none of those revisions was formalized in writing in the conference's manual. In fact, copies of the original, unchanged instant-replay manual continued to be used in Pac-12 Conference stadiums.

The Pac-12 Conference has also declined to make Dixon available for media interviews. And Dixon has emerged as central figure in this story. The one-time salary cap manager for the Kansas City Chiefs was called out by Washington State coach Mike Leach after the Sept. 21 game over another targeting call that wasn't penalized. In a Sept. 25 text message obtained by Yahoo Sports Leach wrote to Pac-12 vice president of officiating David Coleman: "Woodie is a total coward and is afraid of USC. I look forward to telling him in person."

Leach blasted Scott as well, writing via text: "Don't ever waste my time, making me sit through some sanctimonious speech or demonstration on player safety or targeting if you are going to continue to alibi what happened last Friday."

Scott said on Saturday that he wouldn't respond publicly to what was intended to be a private conversation. He did confirm that Dixon hasn't been reprimanded. In fact, Scott said Dixon remains "held in high regard by our conference."

When asked if the Pac-12 Conference commissioner has a responsibility to build trust with Pac-12 fans, Scott said, "My obligation is to our members."

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