NCAA President Mark Emmert to step down

The changes to the NCAA continue as NCAA President Mark Emmert announced he will step down either on June 30, 2023, or once his replacement has been selected, whichever comes first.

The NCAA is in the midst of a transition period as a result of several changes over the last few years.

Student-athletes are now able to capitalize on their performance thanks to name, image and likeness rights, which took effect last summer. They are also able to switch schools once without having to sit a season out as a result of the transfer portal.

“Throughout my tenure I’ve emphasized the need to focus on the experience and priorities of student-athletes,” Emmert said in a statement. ”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.”

According to the release, Emmert and the NCAA board of governors mutually reached the decision to have him step aside. The 69-year-old received a contract extension through 2025 last year.

Emmert’s tenure has fallen under scrutiny multiple times. In March 2021, the disparity between accommodations for the men’s and women’s basketball NCAA Tournaments was exposed by Oregon’s Sedona Prince on TikTok.

Amid the outcry from this video, the NCAA included the women’s tournament under the “March Madness” umbrella for the first time in 2022.

The NCAA also lost a unanimous 2021 Supreme Court antitrust ruling, which resulted in student-athletes being allowed to receive small perks, such as laptops, internships and post-grad opportunities thanks to being student-athletes, according to CBS Sports.

Among the changes in the NCAA is the ratification of the new constitution this past January. The agency attempts to modernize under the new constitution. One example of such change is the shrinkage of the board of governors from 20 to nine in an effort to provide current and former athletes with a larger role in shaping the NCAA.

“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,” said NCAA Board of Governors Chair John J. DeGioia, who also serves as the president of Georgetown. “It also allows for the selection and recruitment of the next president without disruption.”

Emmert was the president of the University of Washington and the chancellor at Louisiana State University prior to becoming NCAA President in 2010. His salary was reported at $2.7 million last year.

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