American University Athletic Director Tom George is returning to the sports marketing industry after 20 months at the school.
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George, who was a senior vice president of athlete marketing at Octagon before taking the AD post at American in November 2001, said that while he "loves the AU community ... personal circumstances" required him to resign.
He would not go into specifics except to say personal economic considerations played a role in his decision.
"My economic circumstances did change," he said. "The ones that allowed me to take the job in the first place are different now." George would not provide specifics on his compensation but did say he took a significant salary cut when he left Octagon to take the job at American.
George leaves American after two of its most successful years in athletics. This year the school finished 74th, its highest finish ever, in the NACDA Directors' Cup, which ranks performance across 20 sports. Its previous highest finish was 125th in the 2001-02 school year. Additionally, the program won six Patriot League championships and sent seven teams to NCAA championships.
George's resignation is effective July 31. He said that both going back to Octagon or being an independent agent are possibilities for him. While at Octagon, his clients included Grant Hill, Anna Kournikova, David Robinson, Michael Vick, Steffi Graf and Gustavo Kuerten.
