Big Ten Conference
ROSEMONT, IL (WSAU) — The Big Ten Conference is close to losing its Commissioner.
Kevin Warren is reportedly nearing an agreement with the Chicago Bears to become their next President and CEO, according to multiple reports from outlets like NFL Network and Front Office Sports.
Sources: The #Bears are expected to name Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren as their new president and CEO. A major hire for the organization and for Warren, who spent time in the NFL prior to college football as a top executive for the #Vikings.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 12, 2023
Warren was named Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference three years ago. His tenure will likely be remembered as an up-and-down period in the league. Warren faced harsh criticism for his move to first cancel the 2020 football season in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, only to later reverse course with a nine-game, league-only slate which kicked off after other leagues had already begun their seasons. During the nine-week season, at least one game was canceled in eight weeks due to the virus.
But the league also reached a new landmark media rights deal with FOX, NBC, and CBS valued at $7 billion. The deal creates three national windows for conference football games each Saturday between 11 AM and 6:30 PM, one on each network, and includes extensive streaming rights on NBC’s Peacock and CBS’s Paramount Plus. The league also expanded into a coast-to-coast footprint with the addition of the University of Southern California and UCLA last summer, a move that becomes official in 2024.
Warren has also served as COO of the Minnesota Vikings, meaning the job would mark a return to the NFL and NFC North.
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