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USA Boxing Latest NGB To Be Threatened With Decertification

USA Boxing is at least the second NGB to see changes imposed on it by the USOC in the last 14 monthsUSA BOXING

The USA Boxing BOD will replace President John Brown and add four new independent members, steps demanded by the USOC under the threat of decertification after an investigation into conflicts of interest. A final vote to confirm the new independent directors, one of whom will replace Brown as president, is expected at a board meeting March 31, said USA Boxing Exec Dir Mike McAtee. Brown will remain on the board. USOC Chief of Sport Performance/NGB Services Rick Adams declined to provide specifics of the investigation, but confirmed NGB officials are cooperating. “We sent Boxing a letter based on an external audit that took place based on a review of board practices, and we requested certain reforms around the composition of the board, the leadership of the board, and the number of independent directors,” Adams said. “At this juncture, we’re working collaboratively with Boxing.” The December vote to accept the USOC’s proposed changes was unanimous, McAtee said. It is not known if the USOC’s investigation was related to an online petition signed last May by 237 people calling for Brown’s ouster, citing what they considered to be conflicts of interest between Brown’s other boxing businesses and organization.

LATEST NGB IN TROUBLE: USA Boxing is at least the second NGB to see changes imposed on it by the USOC in the last 14 months, following USA Gymnastics, whose entire board was forced out after the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal in Jan. 2018. THE DAILY reported Friday that USA Diving is also under USOC review. The ordered changes will increase the size of the USA Boxing BOD from 10 to 13 seats, with a requirement for independent directors going up from four to six, McAtee said. Going forward, the new president must be one of the independent directors. According to the USA Boxing website, there are currently nine members, with just two independent directors. USA Boxing on March 31 will confirm four new independent directors, filling the two new seats and the two old vacant seats. The board will then chose a replacement for Brown from among those four. McAtee declined to identify the proposed new members, who were chosen with the help of an unnamed search firm. No changes to the paid staff were required, Adams said.

MORE COULD BE TARGETED: Adams said there could be other NGBs in the crosshairs, as USOC officials continue to more closely police the 50 nonprofits that oversee individual Olympic sports. He said decertification -- revocation of the governing body’s authority to operate the Olympic team, effectively a death penalty -- is possible if any NGB refuses to cooperate. “We’ve committed to looking closely at NGBs, and ultimately holding them accountable where there are deficiencies,” Adams said. “We’re in the middle of this process in Diving, involved in similar process with USA Boxing, and there are likely other NGBs in the near term that will also engage in a similar process.” Before the Boxing and Diving investigations were disclosed, the USOC had already made it clear that it has concerns over how NGB boards operate -- in particular how many of them are controlled by people with vested interests in clubs or businesses that can benefit from NGB decisions. The USOC does not require any fixed percentage of unaffiliated directors, but believes they are critical to good governance.

UPDATE: Brown has denied any allegations of conflicts of interest. “There’s talk about some conflict of interest I have, which is not true,” Brown said. He said McAtee “knows it’s not true” and that Adams “doesn’t know anything because he’s an outsider.” Brown: “You can ask anyone in our sport about any conflicts of interests I have, which is not true." Brown, who founded and sold boxing equipment company Ringside, said the issue arose from a misunderstanding with his fellow board members when he tried to develop a USA Boxing-run equipment business, believing it could help coaches and create a new revenue line for the NGB. They wanted him to investigate the possibility of creating a corporation and signing a deal with a distribution company. He executed those contracts, and then, he claims, he promptly corrected his mistake. “When they told me they just wanted me to investigate that opportunity, which I’d already done, I made two phone calls. It took me five minutes, to cancel the agreements I signed,” Brown said. “And that’s it. That’s what they call a conflict of interest." Brown said he did not stand to gain personally from the deals. The USOC has not detailed the precise findings of its investigation. USA Boxing has confirmed that the USOC said Brown must be replaced by one of four new independent board members, who will be seated March 31, or face decertification.

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