Just 74 of the 400 NFL employees who were offered buyouts in December are taking the deal, far short of the number the league was hoping to reach. Last week was the deadline that league employees could back out of their commitment to take one of the voluntary severance packages, which were offered to eligible employees with five or more years of service. The league was hoping that 110 to 150 employees — or 10 to 15 percent of its work force — would take a buyout, which included three weeks of pay for every year of service, half of the prior year’s bonus and a year of medical coverage.
While declaring that no specific number had to be reached, Brian McCarthy, NFL vice president of corporate communications, said the league will still try to attain its general target through a previously announced hiring freeze and further job cuts. Salaries also have been frozen. “The restructuring process is ongoing with the voluntary separation program completed,” he wrote in an e-mail. “We are now assessing our business needs, which will include the elimination of some positions and the decision to not fill open spots.”
Those accepting the buyout have begun to surface, and the group includes some prominent people in the NFL’s corporate sponsorship department. Peter Murray, senior vice president of partnership marketing and corporate sales and a 13-year league veteran, and Mitch Poll, a director of corporate sponsorship with about a decade of experience, both are leaving the league. Several sources said that Murray has a job offer from the William Morris Agency, but he also is talking to other agencies. Murray declined to comment. Poll said he did not have a new job lined up.
From the licensing side of the house, the league is losing some significant institutional memory. Among those taking the buyout are Gene Goldberg, longtime consumer products licensing vice president, who has been at the league for nearly 30 years, and Susan Rothman, vice president of consumer products, who headed apparel and had more than 12 years experience at the league. Two others leaving are Gail Martin, who had been at the league for 25 years, most recently as director of consumer products/apparel, and Peter Zeytoonjian, director of business development, consumer products.
The moves come during a fiscal year ending March 31 in which the NFL will fall at least $50 million short of projected revenue, due both to aggressive revenue projections and a sagging economy.
