George Mason Will Remain In The CAA

March 4, 2012; Richmond, VA USA; George Mason Patriots fans watch from the stands against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams in the closing seconds of the second half of their semifinal game of the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Tournament at the Richmond Coliseum. The Rams won 74-64. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

Despite reports that a move to the Atlantic-10 was imminent, George Mason athletic director Tom O'Connor said Friday that the school will remain a member of the CAA.

George Mason will not be joining the Atlantic 10 Conference and will remain a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, athletic director Tom O'Connor said on Friday.

This news follows multiple reports that both George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth would be making the move to the Atlantic, 10 the most recent of which came on April 20.

"Through this process we've engaged in open communication with senior executives at George Mason University," CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said in a statement. "We respected the process George Mason University went through and are pleased it decided that continued membership in the CAA is in the best interest of the university and its athletic programs."

O'connor said George Mason was never offered Atlantic 10 membership and that it never applied for membership, though it did meet with Atlantic 10 representatives.

The decision is huge news for the CAA, which was on the verge of collapsing after nearly losing Old Dominion to Conference USA, seeing Georgia State go to the Sun Belt, and then potentially having its top two basketball programs, in VCU and George Mason, follow suit. VCU is still reportedly mulling the move to the A-10, which recently added Butler.

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