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Mark Schlabach
The PGA Tour is hiring NFL govt vice chairman Brian Rolapp as its CEO to work alongside commissioner Jay Monahan, sources instructed ESPN on Thursday.
Based on ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Seth Wickersham, Rolapp has agreed to go away his function with the NFL after spending 22 years with the league. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell despatched a memo to crew executives and presidents Thursday informing them of Rolapp’s departure.
The PGA Tour declined remark when reached by ESPN on Thursday, although a coverage board assembly is scheduled for Monday, by which Rolapp’s hiring could possibly be finalized, sources instructed ESPN.
The PGA Tour has been looking for a CEO since December; NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps, TaylorMade Golf CEO David Abeles and others had been additionally linked to the place.
Sources instructed ESPN that Rolapp, because the chief media and enterprise officer, was the lead architect of the NFL’s media and enterprise playbook throughout a time when the league’s development exploded. He’s thought of a possible successor for Goodell, and leaving to assist lead one other skilled sports activities circuit is not anticipated to hinder his probability to try this as soon as Goodell steps down sooner or later, the sources stated.
Rolapp has been in his place since 2017 and beforehand labored because the NFL’s chief working officer and senior vice chairman of media technique and digital media. He additionally labored because the CEO of NFL Community and govt vice chairman of NFL Media.
In his present function, Rolapp oversaw promoting gross sales, sponsorships and TV contracts, which reportedly earn the league greater than $10 billion per season.
Monahan changed Tim Finchem as PGA Tour commissioner in January 2017, turning into the fourth to fill that function. He was closely criticized by the tour’s golfers and others when the circuit secretly reached a framework settlement in June 2023 to kind an alliance with Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund and the DP World Tour.
The PIF has financed the rival LIV Golf League the previous 4 years. It lured away a number of PGA Tour stars, together with previous main champions Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm, with assured contracts price greater than $100 million.
The edges have been making an attempt to barter a deal for the reason that framework settlement expired on the finish of 2023; they final met on the White Home in February.
Monahan helped the tour attain a possible $3 billion cope with Strategic Sports activities Group, a consortium of billionaire sports activities crew house owners, to spend money on the circuit’s for-profit entity, PGA Tour Enterprises.
SSG, which is led by Fenway Sports activities Group, made an preliminary funding of $1.5 billion, with the potential for one other $1.5 billion coming later. The PGA Tour controls the for-profit firm, which issued fairness shares to golfers who remained loyal to the tour.
Atlanta Falcons proprietor Arthur Clean, PGA Tour participant administrators Tiger Woods and Adam Scott, and outgoing commissioner Monahan had been a part of the committee that chosen Rolapp as the brand new CEO.
