MM 4.13: Big Ten names Tony Petitti as next commissioner

The Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday that it has named Tony Petitti as its next commissioner. Petitti, who will be the seventh commissioner in conference history, will replace Kevin Warren, now the Chicago Bears’ president and CEO.

“The Big Ten Conference is in an extraordinary position of strength. Tony’s capabilities to navigate the complexities of changing marketplace environments, history as a collaborative leader, and passion for academics and collegiate athletics made him the right leader, at the right time, for the Big Ten Conference,” University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines, who served as the chairman of the search committee, said in a release.

Petitti was interviewed and selected by the league’s 14 member institutions as well as USC and UCLA, which are set to join in 2024.

Throughout his career, Petitti has been an executive at CBS Sports, ABC Sports, Major League Baseball and most recently The 33rd Team, a football media company. He has been a key figure for those entities when negotiating media rights deals and expanding their audiences, also being a leading figure in the creation of college football’s since-replaced Bowl Championship Series.

“I am energized to work alongside the best athletics directors, coaches, conference staff and board in the country as — together — we continue to elevate the academic and athletic experiences and resources for our 14, soon-to-be 16, world-class universities with nearly 10,000 incredible student-athletes,” Petitti stated in the release.

Petitti’s tenure officially begins on May 15.

In other news

Maryland men’s basketball forward Arnaud Revaz entered the transfer portal, it was announced Wednesday. Emmett Siegel wrote about the junior’s departure.

Maryland men’s basketball forward Donta Scott’s return to the program for a fifth year was confirmed by the team. Siegel and Ben Dickson covered the news.

Ryan Alonardo previewed No. 10 Maryland women’s lacrosse’s matchup against No. 10 Penn State. The game’s set for Thursday at 8 p.m.

Maryland football picked up a commitment from class of 2024 defensive back Lakhi Roland. Roland is from Ellenwood, Georgia, and despite being unranked by the 247Sports Composite, is rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.

Various media outlets ranked Maryland men’s basketball in their way-too-early top 25 polls.

Maryland women’s basketball shared a behind-the-scenes look of Diamond Miller’s draft night. Miller was selected No. 2 overall by the Minnesota Lynx.

Maryland track and field hired Sabre Metheney as its new athletic trainer.

Maryland women’s soccer head coach Meg Ryan Nemzer was selected as the cover star for the newest issue of Women’s Soccer Coaching.

Maryland men’s soccer assistant coach Jake Pace was named one of the top assistant coaches in the nation by College Soccer News.

Maryland women’s soccer’s upcoming spring game against Towson was canceled.