Emmert stepping down as NCAA president

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Mark Emmert will step down as president of the NCAA after more than 11 years, the NCAA announced Tuesday evening.

Emmert is leaving the position after more than 11 years as president of the Indianapolis-based organization that oversees college athletics.

A statement from the NCAA says Emmert will stay in the post until his successor is named, or until June 30, 2023.

“Throughout my tenure I’ve emphasized the need to focus on the experience and priorities of student-athletes,” said Emmert in a statement.  “I am extremely proud of the work of the Association over the last 12 years and especially pleased with the hard work and dedication of the national office staff here in Indianapolis.”

Under Emmert, the NCAA has seen huge growth in revenue from the men’s basketball tournament, including a contract with CBS and Turner that will average $1.1 billion per year beginning in 2025.

Emmert and the NCAA have also faced growing criticism for a lack of compensation for college athletes and inequities between men’s and women’s sports.

Before the women’s basketball Final Four this year, Emmert was careful not to call for specific changes before having discussions with the NCAA’s member schools, and would not offer his own viewpoint.

In July, Emmert said the time is right to consider a decentralized and deregulated version of college sports, shifting power to conferences and campuses and reconsidering how schools are aligned.

Emmert also became the target of personal criticism in December, after telling a group of college administrators that being a “university president is the hardest job in America.”