NCAA President Mark Emmert Given Contract Extension Through 2025

Paul KasabianSenior ContributorApril 28, 2021

Susan Walsh/Associated Press

The NCAA Board of Governors announced that it has unanimously decided to extend NCAA President Mark Emmert's contract until Dec. 31, 2025.

Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press relayed the news on Emmert, which was presented as a one-line news item amid a larger update on Tuesday following the board's quarterly meeting.

Emmert is the fifth president in NCAA history. He has held his post since October 2010 following six years as the President of his alma mater, the University of Washington.

Emmert was previously under contract through October 2023, per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.

The news likely won't be well received by conference commissioners and school athletic directors, if comments from Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic and Thamel are to be believed.

Nicole Auerbach @NicoleAuerbach
The texts are coming in ... people are in shock.

Pete Thamel @PeteThamel
The NCAA buried a Mark Emmert contract extension in this release. Commissioners and ADs are going to be apoplectic. https://t.co/eBMhGpAahl https://t.co/vhPuUXJgKX

Other analysts gave their honest thoughts on the extension.

Rodger Sherman @rodger
the NCAA is getting its ass kicked in court, repeatedly has PR disasters, provided just about no leadership during the pandemic. And the big tourney TV deal reportedly left $$$$$ on the table. a lot of this stuff is publicly shown to be caused by Emmert. Why employ him?

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops
Let’s call it what it truly is that keeps Emmert in charge of the NCAA: A good ‘ol boys network. https://t.co/JVH1G9FdRq

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Alex Kirshner @alex_kirshner
The NCAA's legal strategy has been a disaster, to the point they're praying for a Supreme Court bailout. Everyone thinks they're incompetent. They got caught not funding the women's tournament well. But Mark Emmert gets yelled at instead of your school prez, so he gets that $

Dan Wolken @DanWolken
Buried in here is Mark Emmert’s contract was extended again. Why, I have no idea. https://t.co/a56jPCWYDb

Brady McCollough @BradyMcCollough
I guess they just assume that nobody can do the job of defending the amateur model (protecting their money while also surviving the constant PR battles) well so let’s just have Emmert lead the NCAA into his 70s. https://t.co/SduZneYELJ

Emmert's extension comes amid significant equity issues between the men's and women's basketball tournaments, among a host of other problems during his tenure, some of which Auerbach summarized: the NCAA response to the Jerry Sandusky scandal; the appointment of a commission unfamiliar with college basketball to look into cheating in recruiting; the lack of leadership in name, image and likeness reform, as well as during the pandemic.

Thamel issued these remarks to lead a March 30 piece: "NCAA president Mark Emmert has long passed the point where the failures of his tenure register as shocking news. Emmert has been so ineffective and so unpopular for so long that leaders within college athletics have long given up hope that he could evolve into a functional leader."

Emmert's tenure as the NCAA's top full-time administrator is the second-longest in the organization behind only Walter Byers (1951-1988), who served as executive director. The NCAA began giving its leaders the "president" title in 1988.

Evan Hilbert of USA Today reported that Emmert received over $2.7 million in compensation in the 2018 calendar year, per the NCAA's most recently available federal tax records.