Blackmun did not attend the Pyeongchang Games due to recent prostate cancer surgeryGETTY IMAGES
USOC CEO Scott Blackmun has resigned in the face of fierce criticism for allegedly not doing enough to prevent former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse of athletes. USOC Board member Susanne Lyons, a former Exec VP & CMO of Visa USA, will serve as acting CEO while a search for a permanent successor is underway. She had already been put in charge of a board working group responding to the Nassar scandal in January. Blackmun missed the recently completed Pyeongchang Games after undergoing surgery for prostate cancer in January. Blackmun’s resignation ends an eight-year tenure, in which he was widely praised for bringing financial and executive stability to the USOC, rebuilding relationships with domestic sports governing bodies and the IOC, and securing the '28 L.A. Games last year. The former AEG exec was well respected among the sports business community and was named SBJ/SBD Sports Exec of the Year in '13 after the USOC and athletes' performances at the '12 London Games. However, as the Nassar trials unfolded in the second half of '17 and into January, more and more gymnasts and other critics have said the USOC did not exercise appropriate oversight of Gymnastics. U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) on Feb. 2 called on Blackmun to resign. The Wall Street Journal that week reported that Blackmun had been informed of the investigation into Nassar in July '15, more than a year before the allegations became publicly known. A USOC-commissioned investigation of its own behavior in the Nassar scandal is now under way, led by law firm Ropes & Gray.
MUTUAL AGREEMENT: USOC Chair Larry Probst said, "Given Scott’s current health situation, we have mutually agreed it is in the best interest of both Scott and the USOC that we identify new leadership so that we can immediately address the urgent initiatives ahead of us.” In a news conference Feb. 9, Probst said of Blackmun’s role in the Nassar case, “We think that he did what he was supposed to do and he did the right thing at every turn.” When asked yesterday if he still believed that, Probst was indirect. “That’s precisely the purpose of the Ropes & Gray investigation, to find out who knew what when, and what they did with that information,” he said. “We will rely on Ropes & Gray to provide that information and analysis for us." The "mutual decision" for Blackmun to step down came since the end of the Pyeongchang Games on Sunday. Probst said it does not reflect any new developments in the Nassar investigation. "This is a result of Scott having more information about his treatment program going forward as he recovers from prostate cancer, and the realization that we need a full time leader working 24-7 to help us engineer through this crisis and get the USOC on a very positive track for the future,” Probst said. Blackmun in a prepared statement said, “Serving the USOC and its many stakeholders and working with our board, our professional staff and many others who support the Olympic and Paralympic movements has not only been immensely rewarding, it has been an honor and the highlight of my professional life. I am proud of what we have achieved as a team and am confident that Susanne will help the USOC continue to embody the Olympic spirit and champion Team USA athletes during this transition.” Blackmun made $1.08M in '16, according to the most recently available IRS filing.
LOOKING AHEAD: Lyons said the USOC expects to name a search firm to assist in finding a successor to Blackmun within the next few days. A search would likely take between four to six months, she said. Probst said the USOC will form a committee “that’s made up of all the important constituencies in the movement,” along with USOC leaders. Separately, the USOC announced several other initiatives yesterday to protect athletes, including a review of the USOC and NGB governance structure and “effectively doubling” its funding to the new Center for SafeSport. It also said it will provide new funding, support and counseling for gymnasts affected by Nassar’s crimes and create an advisory group to guide the USOC on stronger protections throughout the Olympic community. “While we are eager to review the findings of the independent investigation, the USOC is taking important actions now based on what we already know,” Lyons said.
