Rick Welts resigns as CEO and President of the Phoenix Suns – NBA Update
It is lockout time in NBA and every now and then, we come across news that is considered unexpected or out of line, be it Ron Artest vying to play in United Kingdom or Wilson Chandler going to China.
On Friday though, Phoenix Suns in particular and NBA in general received a shocker when Rick Welts announced the decision to leave the franchise and resign as both the President and Chief Executive.
Welts ended a 9 year association with the Suns in a press conference. He joined the Suns back in 2002 as President. He had previously served around seven years at the front office with the Seattle Super Sonics where he started
out as a ball boy. Welts rose quickly up the ladder and made a name for himself as an NBA executive.
He took on the additional charge of Chief Executive Officer with the Phoenix Suns two years ago. The 58 year old announced in May that he was a g*y man. His decision to leave the Suns came in that backdrop as the former executive
wanted to move to North Carolina and start over.
"It's an opportunity probably for the first time for me to align my personal and professional lives," he said.
Welts’ is considering writing a book about himself once he is done with the Suns.
"I certainly have a lot of interesting offers on that front," Welts said. "That certainly is something that's on the agenda."
He will continue to serve with the Suns until the 15th of September and leave the organization with 8 months left on his contract. However Rick made it clear in his press conference that he was not ready to hang up his
boots just yet, so to speak, and will be looking to get back to being sports executive sooner rather than later.
"I'm not ready to go play golf or go on a speaking tour," Welts said. "I definitely feel I have a lot left to give to the professional sports industry."
Robert Sarver, the owner of the Phoenix Suns, has been very supportive of Rick since his announcement 4 months ago. Welts took the opportunity to thank his former employer and shot down any assertions that his resignation was a
result of some kind of friction between the two.
"I think amicable is probably an understatement,"
"Nothing could be further from the truth," Welts said. "From the time I made my announcement in May, the Suns, and Robert in particular, have been unbelievably supportive."
Sarver phoned Rick before the news conference and thanked him once again for services rendered to the Suns. The owner also issued a press release stating that Jason Rowley will temporarily replace Rick Welts until the organization
can find a new permanent CEO.
Suns fans will be hoping that Rick is replaced as soon as possible so that the organization can focus on the challenges ahead.
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