MLSE President & CEO
TIM LEIWEKE approximately two months ago reiterated to the company's BOD that he "would only guarantee his position until June 30, 2015," and the board "wanted to end the speculation and begin the replacement process," according to sources cited by Elliotte Friedman of the CBC. Leiweke's timeline "was not acceptable to the board." With "major projects on the horizon" -- a new Raptors practice facility, an NBA All-Star Game, a bid for the NHL All-Star Game and expansion of BMO Field -- the board "wanted to know if he was in or out." They "wanted greater guarantees" (
CBC.ca, 8/21). SPORTSNET's Jeff Blair wrote there is at least as much evidence to suggest that MLSE "wanted a statement of declaration from Leiweke ahead of Wednesday night’s board meeting; that this was the board forcing Leiweke’s hand in a marriage that many in the U.S. saw as being doomed from the start." Blair asked, "What does Leiweke’s departure mean?" It is
going to be difficult for Toronto FC to "find another North American sports executive who can match Leiweke’s affinity for the sport of soccer." Leiweke’s mark on the Maple Leafs and Raptors "is much more indelible." It was "ham-handed at times, but Leiweke forced the Maple Leafs to finally address the weight of their history because he was uniquely positioned to do so as an American with no connections to the hockey team or the city" (
SPORTSNET.ca, 8/21).
BUTTING HEADS? In Toronto, Steve Simmons writes the relationship between Leiweke and MLSE "was an implosion in the end." Leiweke "wanted out," and a "good portion of the board of MLSE wanted him out." The "bold ways of Leiweke didn’t always mesh with the conservative ways of the MLSE board." A "strong mind like Leiweke’s -- a my-way-or-the-highway-guy -- didn’t, in the end, mesh particularly well with some of the my-way-or-the-highway board members" (TORONTO SUN, 8/22). Also in Toronto, Morgan Campbell cites experts as saying that Leiweke "has set the company up for long-term success." However, that 24 months is "just enough time for the superstar executive to leave his legacy in Toronto tantalizingly unfulfilled" (TORONTO STAR, 8/22). The GLOBE & MAIL's Bradshaw & Dobby write MLSE is "facing another shift in direction," and finding a replacement with the same profile and experience as Leiweke "won’t be easy." MLSE will "have to find someone who can maintain the momentum Mr. Leiweke has built around its sports franchises, but who is diplomatic enough to navigate a boardroom where fierce corporate rivals, BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc., sit around the same table." Inside MLSE, some contend that Leiweke’s commitment to the job "was always in the two-year range, and the news was not a shock." The leadership group he assembled "remains relatively intact." Now, the "crucial task for MLSE’s ownership will be deciding what they want from the next CEO, and how much leeway that person will have to chart his or her own course, while avoiding signs of discord" (GLOBE & MAIL, 8/22).
POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS: TSN's Rick Westhead cited sources as saying that Canadian Olympic Committee CEO CHRIS OVERHOLT is "at the head of the list" to replace Leiweke. Sources said Overholt has "absolutely turned the COC around" since he was hired in '10, first as marketing director, and then as CEO. He "is a Toronto native and a former MLSE employee." Former MSG CEO SCOTT O'NEIL, who "helped run the New York Rangers and Knicks, would be another candidate." He also "was a candidate for the MLSE CEO position when Leiweke was hired." Former MLSE President & CEO RICHARD PEDDIE said that it is "unlikely that former MLSE executive TOM ANSELMI would be considered for the job" (TSN.ca, 8/21). In Toronto, Josh Rubin lists outgoing CFL Commissioner MARK COHON and NHL COO JOHN COLLINS as potential candidates to succeed Leiweke. The timing "is right" for Cohon, who announced Wednesday that he is "stepping down as CFL commissioner in April -- just two months before Leiweke’s MLSE term is up." Collins has "been arguably as responsible as commissioner GARY BETTMAN for the NHL’s recent financial success." Whether MLSE "would want another high-profile American executive after Leiweke, however, is a big question" (TORONTO STAR, 8/22).
BIG SHOES TO FILL: The GLOBE & MAIL's Cathal Kelly writes Leiweke "was a visionary," and MLSE "can’t find another guy who exists at Mr. Leiweke’s level, because such a person does not exist." He "wasn’t just the best-connected sports executive in the country," he may have been "the most hooked-in entertainment operator in the world." Leiweke "brought two things that cannot be pulled from the air by a new CEO, regardless of how competent -- connections and a single-minded drive to put his personal stamp on every part of a business" (GLOBE & MAIL, 8/22).
