The American Athletic Conference is targeting IMG Academy president and former Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti as its next commissioner, people briefed on the hiring process said. The Athletic on tuesday. A contract has not yet been finalized, but it is likely to be finalized soon. Yahoo Sports first reported the news.
Once completed, Pernetti will replace outgoing Mike Aresco, who announced in December that he would retire at the end of the 2023-24 school year. Aresko is the only commissioner in the history of this version of the conference, which became independent after the Big East split in 2013.
Like Aresco, Pernetti has a background in both sports business, television and college sports. Perhaps coincidentally, Pernetti worked with both Aresco and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti at CBS Sports in the 2000s, and they each also spent time at ABC Sports/ESPN.
Pernetti has spent the past decade in a variety of sports business and sports-related roles. He has been president of IMG Academy since 2022 after holding other positions at IMG and former parent company Endeavor. IMG Academy is a preparatory school located in Bradenton, Florida, and is also a strong sports school. Last year, Endeavor entered into a deal to sell the school to a private equity firm.
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Before taking over the academy, Mr. Pernetti helped lead IMG College, which works with universities on branding and commercial partnerships. (IMG College merged with Learfield in 2019.) Pernetti served as Rutgers' athletic director from 2009 to 2013. He is a former Rutgers football player who was one of the youngest ADs in the country when he was hired by his alma mater and was also an AD when Rutgers accepted him. Invitation to the Big Ten.
He resigned in April 2013 amid a men's basketball scandal involving former coach Mike Rice. The manager was suspended for three games and fined in December last year due to inappropriate behavior by Pernetti. Pernetti wanted to fire Rice rather than suspend him after a video surfaced of Rice grabbing players, throwing balls and calling out homophobic slurs, but per school policy, university officials He said that he did not have the support of the
A January report by the school's outside counsel said Rice could have been fired at the time.
Prior to joining Rutgers, Pernetti worked for ABC Sports from 1994 to 2003, which included time overseeing college sports coverage. After that, he worked for College Sports TV and CBS, where he acquired CSTV.
As Aresco heads toward retirement, AAC finds itself in a position of both strength and uncertainty. This league is arguably the strongest Group 5 conference since the College Football Playoff era began in 2014. Next season, the addition of six Conference USA schools and Army Football helped the team survive the Big 12 losses of Cincinnati, Houston and UCF.
The school has the largest budget and payroll in the G5 league, and the conference has the richest G5 television contract with ESPN through 2032. However, the future of college sports remains uncertain due to various legal issues, potential employment of players, and potential integration. of money and power around the Big Ten and SEC.
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