The Big Ten got its man.
Earlier on Tuesday, reports indicated that the premier intercollegiate athletics conference struck out with the person perceived to be its top candidate, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips.
Phillips was the former athletic director for Northwestern and was thought, before the hire of Kevin Warren, to be the heir apparent to Jim Delany. With Warren moving on to the Chicago Bears, Phillips’ name being at the top of the wish list made all the sense in the world. Yet, the Big Ten was left standing at the altar when Phillips re-upped with the ACC.
The conference moved fast. ESPN college insider Pete Thamel reported Tony Petitti will take over the reins from Warren as the new Big Ten commissioner.
Sources: The Big Ten is expected to hire former MLB and CBS Sports Executive Tony Petitti as the league's next commissioner.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 11, 2023
Previously the COO of Major League Baseball, Petitti went to Haverford College and Harvard Law. He is the former president of sports and entertainment at Activision Blizzard and was an executive at ABC Sports and CBS Sports.
With the MLB being his latest stop, he also served as the president and CEO of MLB Network.
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