MATT HONG, one of Turner Sports' top execs, will leave the company in the coming weeks. This morning's announcement that Hong is stepping down as Turner Sports COO after 11 years at the company comes three months after AT&T officially took control of Time Warner. Though there have been rumors of an executive shakeup coming to Turner Sports over the last three months, Hong and Turner Sports President LENNY DANIELS made it clear that Hong’s decision to leave had nothing to do with the AT&T acquisition. In a memo sent to employees this morning, Hong wrote that he first broached the idea of leaving with Daniels and former Turner President DAVID LEVY a "few months ago.” Hong, a '10 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree, in the memo said he plans “to take a few months to recharge, both mentally and physically.” Hong has four direct reports: Bleacher Report CEO HOWARD MITTMAN, Senior VP/Programming & Content SCOOTER VERTINO, Senior VP/Business VAL IMMELE and Senior VP/Digital MARK JOHNSON. They now will report to Daniels on an interim basis. “For the past few months, I’ve been considering how we can best align our people resources to achieve our business goals in the future and expect to offer more clarity in the weeks ahead,” Daniels said in his memo. He highlighted Hong’s role in buying Bleacher Report and managing league relationships. “He’s made considerable contributions toward the launch of B/R Live and ongoing enhancements to our suite of digital products and platforms,” Daniels wrote.
