John Marinatto Resigns As Big East Commissioner

John Marinatto Resigns As Big East Commissioner

After a tumultuous three years on the job, John Marinatto has resigned as commissioner of the Big East Conference.

"After a great deal of thought and prayer, I have decided to step down as Commissioner of the Big East Conference and formally advised our Board of Directors," Marinatto announced in a statement Monday morning. "I have been associated with this league for my entire adult life and have had the tremendous honor of serving as its Commissioner since 2009.  Our recent expansion efforts have stabilized the Conference for the long term, and we are likewise well positioned for our very important upcoming television negotiations.  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," he added.  "I am extremely confident about the future of this league that I love very much."

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

The story was first released by cbssports.com early this morning.  The story claims that Big East presidents asked for his resignation on Sunday.

Joseph A. Bailey III will assume the position of interim Commissioner of the Providence-based Big East until a new Commissioner is selected. Bailey has extensive experience in the global sports industry as a leader, advisor and recruiter. He has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Miami Dolphins, Chief Operating Officer of the World League/NFL, Vice President of Administration of the Dallas Cowboys and other senior positions.  Most recently, he has served as the Managing Director of RSR Partners, a leading executive recruiting firm.

“Joe is a proven leader who will do a terrific job guiding the conference through this time of transition,” said Dr. Judy Genshaft, President of the University of South Florida and Chair of the Big East Conference.  “His experience as a manager and his knowledge of the sports industry make Joe uniquely qualified to serve as interim Commissioner. He will move the Conference forward with a steady-hand as we explore new opportunities.

“I know I speak for the entire Conference when I express my sincere gratitude to John for his leadership and dedicated years of service,” Genshaft added.  “John helped build the Big East into what it is today, and played a critical role in our successful expansion efforts, and for all of that we thank him.”

“The Big East has a terrific future,” said interim-commissioner Bailey.  “I’m excited to participate in shaping a new structure and strategic plans for the Conference, and I look forward to engaging on these matters with the leadership of all of the Conference’s members, old and new alike.”

The Conference also announced that it has retained The Boston Consulting Group to review its organizational design and structure.  As the Big East transitions to a national conference, its members will take this opportunity to position the Conference to maximize its media rights, branding and other strategies.

Marinatto, who previously spent 14 years as athletic director at Providence College, began his tenure as Big East commissioner on July 1, 2009 when Mike Tranghese resigned.  Tranghese had succeeded the late Dave Gavitt and the three men were the only commissioners in the history of the conference.

The past three years have been quite challenging for the Big East.  Most recently, Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced that they will be leaving the conference to join the ACC.  West Virginia is also leaving and is joining the Big 12.

There is also speculation that conference expansion and realignment is not finished yet nationwide and that schools like Louisville, UConn and possibly Rutgers remain targets for other major conferences.

Marinatto was able to keep the league viable with the addition of eight schools - Boise State and San Diego State as football-only members coming in for 2013, along with SMU, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, Temple and Navy, with Navy joining as a football-only member in 2015.

The challenge for the Big East has been keeping both football and the basketball-only playing schools happy.  It has led to an oversized conference with teams now stretching from New York to Dallas to San Diego.

"John is a tireless worker and for so many years, his time and energy have been consumed by working to make our league better for all of its membership," Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich told the Louisville Courier Journal.  "We at the University of Louisville are indebted to John for his efforts in navigating our university’s move to the Big East Conference. He is a true gentleman in every sense of the word and has terrific character and integrity. John is a good friend, we have appreciated our association with him and we wish him the very best."

The goal has been to maintain a viable football conference worthy of keeping the conference's automatic BCS bid, while not damaging arguably the most powerful basketball conference in the nation.  The most recent announced departures of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia dealt a major blow to those efforts.  But with the future of the BCS in doubt as a potential playoff plan nears for college football, no one is quite certain how the Big East might be affected - especially when it comes to renegotiating media rights. 

Those rights are up for renewal this summer.  ESPN.com reported Marinatto wanted to accept a new media rights deal a year ago, but was rejected by league presidents in a 12-4 vote, with Georgetown leading the dissension.

As for speculation regarding a permanent successor,  Dan Gavitt would seem a likely candidate.  His father Dave founded the conference in 1979.  Dan Gavitt is currently an associate commissioner for the Big East, overseeing men's basketball.

The search for the permanent league commissioner will be chaired Dr. Gregory H. Williams, the President of the University of Cincinnati and a member of the Big East Executive Committee. The Big East also has its spring meetings set to begin May 21 in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.