The Big East Conference lost it's commissioner on Monday when John Marinatto decided to resign. The conference released a statement with full quotes from Marinatto and some of the other members of the board about his departure. You can find the whole statement over at Big East Coast Bias, but here is Marinatto on deciding to leave after setting the Conference up with some new members.

"As a result, I felt this was the right time to step aside and to let someone else lead us through the next chapter of our evolution. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish and would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank both our membership and my staff for their unwavering encouragement, support and loyalty -- especially during this past year. I am extremely confident about the future of this league that I love very much."

The statement insinuates that Marinatto elected to leave his position, but there is some speculation that this may not be the case.

Two officials in Big East told me Marinatto being forced out was a long time coming after expansion/TV mess.

— Kelly Whiteside (@WhitesideUSAT) May 7, 2012

We'll have more on that storyline as it develops.

For more on this story and how it relates to the South Florida Bulls, please head over toVoodoo Five. You can also check out the aforementioned Big East Coast Bias for more on this story.