• Loading stock data...
Friday, April 25, 2025

NCAA President Mark Emmert to Step Down By June 2023

  • The decision suggests a change of heart amid the NCAA Board of Governors, which voted just last year to extend Emmert’s contract through 2025.
  • The news also comes amid major upheaval in college sports.
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

NCAA President Mark Emmert’s more than decade-long tenure will come to an end by June 30, 2023, the governing body announced on Tuesday.

In a statement, NCAA Board of Governors chair John DeGioia said the decision was made “by mutual agreement with the board.”

“I am extremely proud of the work of the Association over the last 12 years and especially pleased with the hard work and dedication of the national office staff here in Indianapolis,” Emmert said in the statement.

The decision suggests a change of heart among the NCAA’s Board of Governors, which voted just last year to extend Emmert’s contract through 2025.

At the time, the decision was met with major criticism in the college sports community, who felt Emmert’s leadership was inadequate.

Emmert has overseen an NCAA that has increasingly given up power, made miscalculated legal moves, and often refused to accept change and bend to public opinion.

Just weeks before his quiet contract extension announcement in 2021, he reacted slowly and made excuses for the vast gender disparities between the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

In fact, over the past two years of Emmert’s tenure, college sports has been in turmoil — and Emmert has spoken out only sparingly.

Emmert’s NCAA office largely left it up to divisions, conferences, and schools how to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, providing only guidelines. Name, image, and likeness rules have been in effect for less than a year. The anti-NCAA Supreme Court decision in the NCAA v. Alston case threatened the NCAA’s iron grip on amateurism, a business model that refuses to pay players. And the governing body, after voting on a new constitution to ensure its own survival, is in the midst of re-evaluating divisional structure and roles.

“With the significant transitions underway within college sports, the timing of this decision provides the Association with consistent leadership during the coming months plus the opportunity to consider what will be the future role of the president,” DeGioia said. “It also allows for the selection and recruitment of the next president without disruption.”

Emmert did, however, arguably serve his membership well as college sports’ main bogeyman. He was paid about $2.7 million annually, according to recent tax filings, to be the face of everything wrong with the NCAA — even when university presidents and conference and athletic department officials themselves were the ones voting in NCAA committees.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Mar 28, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) dribbles the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first half during a Midwest Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.

College Sports Has Become a Billion-Dollar Business. Kentucky Is Embracing It

Kentucky said its LLC would operate similarly to two hospitals run by the university.
Dec 27, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; A close up view of New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) shoes during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.

Skechers Is Latest Company to Pull Guidance, Citing U.S. Tariffs

Skechers’s healthy international business will help it weather the effects of tariffs.
Sponsored

Fighting for Clarity: Inside UFC’s New Partnership With Total Wireless

UFC teams with Total Wireless in a no-frills partnership built for today’s mobile-first, value-driven fanbase.
Apr 20, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) celebrates his three-point basket in the first quarter against the Miami Heat at Rocket Arena.

Evan Mobley’s DPOY Win Adds $45 Million to Contract

Mobley’s contract extension got more expensive with his DPOY win.

Featured Today

The Former NBA Agent Who Became a Pickleball Deputy Commissioner

Chris Patrick went from representing Jimmy Butler to pickleball deputy commissioner.
Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after a three point basket against the Houston Cougars during the first half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.
April 21, 2025

Cooper Flagg’s Timing Is Perfect for the NBA and USA Basketball

The projected No. 1 pick just declared for the draft.
Apr 14, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Paige Bueckers is interviewed by ESPN after being selected with the number one overall pick to the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards
April 21, 2025

ESPN’s WNBA Coverage Mirrors the League’s Stunning Growth

“I don’t think we stand still in our coverage of women’s sports,” says Rowe.
Mar 16, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with guard Isaiah Joe (11) after score in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.
April 20, 2025

Unorthodox OKC: The Thunder Redefined Tanking to Become NBA’s Best

A rebuild years in the making has OKC in the driver’s seat.
Ole Miss

Coach Yo: Women’s College Hoops Are ‘Pay for Play’

Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin built a top transfer class this offseason.
April 24, 2025

The House Settlement Is in Jeopardy. Here’s What It Will Take to..

The parties will try to salvage the settlement over the next two weeks.
Jan 21, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; College Football Playoff executive director Rich Clark speaks during the CFP National Championship Host Committee handoff press conference at The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Savannah Ballroom.
April 24, 2025

CFP Meetings End With No Major Changes to 12-Team Playoff—for Now

For now, the complicated seeding process will remain in place.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

This week, Two-time Super Bowl Champion and CBS NFL analyst Logan Ryan joins us to talk the business of sports on our third installment of Portfolio Players.
NC State women's cross country
April 23, 2025

Judge Threatens to Reject $2.8 Billion House v. NCAA Settlement

The NCAA and power conferences could end up at trial.
Dec 27, 2024; Memphis, TN, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Miguel Mitchell (16) returns an interception during the forth quarter against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
April 23, 2025

NIL Contract Buyouts Are More Common, but Can They Be Enforced?

The Arkansas collective has issued two demand letters to players to pay buyouts.
Flau'jae Johnson
exclusive
April 23, 2025

Flau’jae Johnson Says She Will Return to LSU

The transfer portal closed Wednesday.
Fordham
April 23, 2025

Fordham Hit With Rare NIL Era NCAA Sanctions

The Rams were hit with recruiting violations stemming from a Times Square photo shoot.