Report: Former MLB, CBS Sports Exec Tony Petitti to be Named Big Ten Commissioner

The Big Ten Conference reportedly has found it's next commissioner.

According to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, former MLB and CBS Sports executive Tony Petitti is expected to be hired to the position to replace Kevin Warren, who left in January to become team president and CEO of the Chicago Bears.

Per On3, Petitti was an executive vice president at CBS who "had a large hand in the network's NFL coverage" during his tenure. He left the role to become the head of the MLB Network prior to its launch in 2009.

In its brief time under Warren, the Big Ten faced some ups and downs. After he assumed the position in June 2019, he quickly dealt with some massive tumult less than a year later when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Auerbach and Bruce Feldman noted that the conference's decision to cancel the 2020 season "received significant backlash internally and externally," which led to a reversal of the decision to instead play a conference-only schedule. In the wake of the controversy, Warren "was forced to build (and rebuild) relationships on campuses across the league."

However, Warren helped the Big Ten make some massive strides. He secured a massive media rights deal that includes seven-year agreements with FOX, CBS and NBC and "will collectively bring in more than a billion dollars per year." The impending additions of USC and UCLA also helped the Big Ten rival only the SEC in terms of the top FBS football conference.

Petitti thankfully doesn't have to worry about negotiating media deals for a while, since they go into effect this summer and run until 2030. He will likely be focused on continuing to provide stability for the Big Ten amid the ever-changing college sports landscape.