Announcement from Scout.com

For the second time in a decade, fans of an Ohio-based sports team awakened to find that someone had backed up the moving van in the middle of the night, and left loyal fans literally and figuratively "in the dark."

Like you, Scout found out this morning that our affiliate publisher Bucknuts had picked up and left. All morning we've fielded phone calls, emails and message board posts from confused fans wondering what the future holds. Some questioned how Scout could have allowed this to happen, or whether we lack some basic business smarts. "Was Bucknuts' contract term over?" (Answer: no). "Didn't Scout include 'non-compete' provisions in its contracts?" (Answer: yes, including this one). There are obviously some legal issues involved but we'll let the lawyers and judges sort that out. Like you, we have friends and (former) colleagues on the Bucknuts staff. Notwithstanding a dispute with Bucknuts' owners regarding how this all transpired, we have little interest in engaging in a public mud-slinging contest. There is a forum for that sort of thing, but this isn't it. The most important upcoming contest is the National Championship!

With that in mind, we focused efforts this morning on making sure that the transition will be as seamless and professional as possible for our customers. To address the most basic question -- there is no change to the status of your registration and/or subscription on this site or on any other Scout site or message board.

We are happy to announce that Bob Lichtenfels will take over duties as the primary publisher of the Ohio State site through the football recruiting season. Bob is well-known to Ohio State fans for his unmatched recruiting coverage of the Buckeye football program, and with Bob at the helm, you will continue to benefit from the incredible commitment Bob brings every day to his job.

Bob will work tirelessly to make sure that Buckeye fans don't miss a thing when it comes to team and recruiting coverage during the most important time of the year. Clearly, one man can't do it alone, and we are committed to putting together a staff of writers who will cover football and basketball at the level Buckeye fans have grown to expect from a Scout publisher. We do ask for a little bit of patience. Unlike Bucknuts, we have not had an extended planning period for this change ... but we are committed to providing you with quality coverage of your favorite team.

What Browns fans knew in 1996, and Buckeye fans know now, is that the heart and soul of any community is their passionate fanbase. Scout understands the importance of community, and we'll do everything in our power to ensure your online experience is not disrupted, so you can focus on what matters most right now...............a National Championship season.

-The Scout.com Team