Tim Pernetti

Tim Pernetti is the Chief Operating Officer of IMG Performance and IMG Academy. He previously served the company as Executive Vice President of IMG Events and Media. He has been an executive at IMG since March 2015 when he served as the President of IMG College. Pernetti served previously as the Chief Business Officer of the Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion club New York City FC (NYCFC). His appointment was announced by the club on September 9, 2013. Pernetti oversaw all business operations for the club, leading up to its first games in March 2015.[1] After only eighteen months with the club and the successful launch of the Club into MLS play, Pernetti resigned to take a job as President for IMG College.[2]

Tim Pernetti

Tim Pernetti
Biographical details
Born (1970-11-02) November 2, 1970
Teaneck, New Jersey
Alma materRamapo High School, Rutgers University
Playing career
1989–1993Rutgers
Position(s)Tight end
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2009–2013Rutgers

Pernetti is also the former Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Rutgers University between 2009 and 2013.[3] His appointment began as part of a five-year agreement with the university.

Prior to his appointment at Rutgers, Pernetti was one of the first hires at CSTV, the first-ever college-sports only network, launched in 2003, and sold in 2006 to CBS Sports for $325,000,000.[4] Pernetti ran all college conference and university relationships and oversaw the deal-making, network programming, and talent for the 24-hour home of college sports. It is now known as the CBS Sports Network. Early in his career Pernetti served as a programming executive and deal-maker at ABC Sports overseeing college football, college basketball, the PGA Tour, and other professional sports properties and relationships. In 1995 Pernetti was hired in his first job to help ABC Sports to launch its first-ever online presence on AOL and helped to create two-screen programming on-line during ABC Sports biggest events on Television including the Super Bowl, World Series, College Football, PGA Tour Golf, and much more.

Early life

Tim Pernetti was born on November 2, 1970 at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, New Jersey. He grew up in Wyckoff, New Jersey and went to Sicomac School for Kindergarten through 6th grades and Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School for 7th and 8th grades. He then attended Ramapo High School. Pernetti played football and basketball at Ramapo and captained the basketball team in 1989. He was also an all-state football player in 1988 and named the Ramapo High School Athlete of the Year in 1989. He was inducted into the Ramapo High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Pernetti and earned a scholarship to play for the Scarlet Knights as a tight end from 1989 to 1993. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass media and a master's degree in communication from Rutgers.

Media and professional career

From 1994 to 2003, Pernetti worked in various television programming and deal-making positions for ABC Sports. By 1996, he oversaw the day-to-day college football business for ABC Sports, managing relationships with college football conferences, commissioners, universities and athletic directors and various bowl games. He left ABC Sports in 2003 and joined CSTV as Vice President of Programming & Talent. Pernetti was responsible for all deal-making and rights acquisitions headlined by the acquisition of exclusive regular season rights to Army Football, Navy Football, and his management of the agreement between the Mountain West Conference and CSTV that produced the MountainWest Sports Network (MTN), the first-ever collegiate conference branded network. In 2006, CSTV was acquired by CBS Television Pernetti was promoted to Executive Vice President, Content to oversee the content strategy, programming, rights acquisitions, and relationships for CBS College Sports Network. He was named a recipient of the Sports Business Journal's "40 Under 40" Award recognizing the most powerful and influential people in the sports business under the age of 40 in 2008 and a recipient of the MultiChannel News 40 Under 40 recognizing the most influential people in cable Television also in 2008.[5] Pernetti was named Chief Executive at Major League Soccer expansion franchise New York City FC in 2013 and built the franchise on the commercial business side in sponsorship, licensing, merchandise and apparel, ticket and premium seating sales, marketing, fan engagement and ran the day-to-day relationship with the franchise co-owners the New York Yankees and Manchester City Football Club and City Football Group. In 2015 Pernetti was recruited from NYCFC by WME who had recently acquired IMG to serve as President of IMG College. Pernetti ran the business at IMG College from March 2015 through April 2019 and worked as part of the team that oversaw and executed the $2,000,000,000 merger between IMG College and Learfield. The company is now known as Learfield IMG College.[6] Following the successful transition of the IMG College business, Pernetti was named Executive Vice President, Endeavor, the parent company to WME, IMG, the UFC and various other properties and companies.

From 2001 to 2009, Pernetti moonlighted as a football color analyst for Rutgers Football and Sports USA Radio network's coverage of the NFL. He also was a regular TV contributor as a college football and college business analyst on SNY in 2006 and 2007, and performed TV game analyst duties on FSN and ESPN Regional Television from 2002 to 2005.

Director of Athletics, Rutgers University

On April 1, 2009 Pernetti began work as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Rutgers University as part of a five-year contract. In the role he oversaw 24 men's and women's sports, fundraising and development, a staff of more than 200 employees and also oversaw coaching searches and hires in men's and women's sports. Pernetti is credited with transforming the business at Rutgers and for record-breaking fundraising results in four years. During his tenure, Rutgers Athletics generated more than $100M in incremental revenue for the department. Pernetti is also credited, given his broad-based media background, with the creative and powerful amplification of the Rutgers Athletics brand, and creating more media visibility than ever before for Athletics. Pernetti made his mark by strategically and quietly navigating the chaos of conference expansion from 2009-2012 and perfectly positioning Rutgers by negotiating the agreement to bring Rutgers to the Big Ten Conference in 2012.[7] For his efforts, Pernetti was named one of the five candidates in 2013 for Sports Business Journal National Athletic Director of the Year.

Men's basketball

Pernetti was recognized nationally following Rutgers' announcement of the move to the Big Ten for his vision, leadership and business acumen. He was recognized as one of the top 5 key power players in New Jersey sports and politics [8] and was profiled as a visionary.[9] Rutgers President Robert Barchi called Pernetti "remarkable" on November 20, 2012. Barchi stated "I applaud Tim Pernetti on this extremely positive development for Rutgers. He has been working for a long time to ensure that, in this period of athletic conference realignment, Rutgers would emerge in a stronger, more advantageous position. Joining the Big Ten is the most appropriate match for Rutgers with the very best long-term potential for our athletic program. It is where we belong." [10] In April 2013 a video surfaced showing men's basketball coach Mike Rice throwing basketballs at players' heads from point-blank range and calling them names, including homophobic slurs.[11] Pernetti launched an internal and third-party investigation but decided against firing Rice, who was instead suspended for 3 games, fined and required to complete anger management training.[12]

The reasons behind the discipline were not made public. After ESPN's Outside the Lines aired the video on April 2, 2013, many expressed their disbelief on blogs[13] and on Twitter that Rice had not been fired and that Rutgers should be held accountable for its leniency toward Rice, whom Pernetti had hired as one of his first major acts as Rutgers AD.[14] Elected officials joined the ensuing outcry, with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie condemning Rice's behavior, and State Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver demanding that Rice be fired.[15] When school president Robert Barchi saw the video for the first time on the night of April 2, he called in Pernetti and told him that Rice had to leave immediately. Rice was fired the next day.[16]

On April 3, Barchi caved to the political and public/social media pressure of the situation and in order to save his own job told Pernetti that he also would likely be fired, and gave him the option of either resigning or being fired. After two days of negotiations, Pernetti resigned on April 5 in what he called "the best interest of Rutgers".[17] He later made clear that he wanted to fire Rice in December, but was advised at the time that the results of the investigation, attorney's recommendations and Rutgers policy would not support a firing.[18] Alumni and prominent donors spoke publicly, rescinded their donations and financial commitments, and expressed outrage at Rutgers actions to scapegoat Pernetti for a process and a decision owned and run by many. Former student-athletes such as Shaun O'Hara, Eric LeGrand, Devin and Jason McCourty, Brian Leonard, Mohammed Sanu, Ray Rice and others in addition to numerous other supporters publicly spoke on his high character and poor manner in which the situation was handled.[19] Once Pernetti resigned, alumni, fans, donors and former players invested to permanently commemorate Pernetti's unmatched contributions to Rutgers as both a student-athlete and Director of Athletics by purchasing a brick on the Scarlet Walk where the football team walks on game-day to enter the stadium.

Pernetti Brick at the Rutgers Scarlet Walk

Personal life

Pernetti is involved in many charitable and community organizations. He sits on the board of directors of the REED Academy, a school in Oakland, NJ serving children with autistic spectrum disorder.[20] Pernetti also sits on the Board of Directors for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, and Team LeGrand, the foundation of former Rutgers Football Player, Eric LeGrand.

References
  1. "Tim Pernetti appointed as CBO". nycfc.com. September 9, 2013.
  2. Bondy, Stefan. "Tim Pernetti leaving NYCFC after just 18 months for role with WME/IMG". nydailynews.com. The New York Daily News. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  3. Caldwell, Dave (February 26, 2009). "Former Rutgers Tight End Is Named Athletic Director". The New York Times. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  4. "CBS to Acquire CSTV for $325 Million in Stock". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved November 4, 2005.
  5. "Tim Pernetti". Sports Business Journal. March 3, 2008.
  6. "What's next after $2 billion Learfield-IMG College merger?". Sports Business Journal. January 7, 2019.
  7. "Rutgers announces press conference for Big Ten move". SB Nation. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  8. "Politi: Fourth annual Juice List of 25 most influential people in New Jersey sports topped by Eric LeGrand". Star Ledger. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  9. "Part visionary, part politician: Rutgers' Tim Pernetti could be prototype for the modern AD". Star Ledger. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  10. "Joining the Big Ten Conference".
  11. "Rutgers Coach Mike Rice Facing Scrutiny After Video Airs". The New York Times. April 2, 2013.
  12. "Practice video shows Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice berated, pushed and used slurs against players - ESPN". Espn.go.com. January 1, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  13. "Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti and school president Robert Barchi need to go, too - ESPN New York". Espn.go.com. January 1, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  14. Associated Press (April 5, 2013). "Report: Rutgers fires AD Pernetti". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  15. ESPN. Rutgers fires coach Mike Rice
  16. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/04/mike_rice_fired_rutgers_univer.html
  17. "Letter of Resignation from Tim Pernetti". Scarletknights.com. April 5, 2013.
  18. Tara Sullivan (April 5, 2013). "For days, Rutgers athletic director knew he would have to go". The Record.
  19. "Ray Rice leads a grassroots effort to save Tim Pernetti's job, but will it matter?". Star Ledger. April 5, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  20. "Home". REED Academy – board of directors. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
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