Lamont praises Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker as new NCAA head
The next NCAA president is a familiar name in New England.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker was selected Thursday to succeed Mark Emmert, who is stepping down from the job he's had since November 2010. Baker, the Bay State governor since 2015, will end his term in January as governor and will replace Emmert on March 1.
Gov. Ned Lamont has worked closely with Baker on regional issues and is known to hold the Republican in high regard. Just hours after the news broke of Baker's appointment, Lamont issued a statement.
“Throughout the duration of his leadership as governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker has been an innovative and collaborative quarterback for the people of the commonwealth, guiding them through the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the implementation of transformative fiscal, education, and infrastructure policies,” Lamont said. “Our states have had a strong, collaborative relationship, and that is largely due to Governor Baker's bipartisan approach with fellow governors like myself and others in our region and throughout the country.
“I applaud the NCAA for this appointment, and I fully believe that the shared vision of all the members of the NCAA will be achieved under Governor Baker's leadership.”
Lamont, a Greenwich Democrat, likely has a keen interest in the NCAA. He has been a vocal supporter of UConn athletics, even playing an active role in the recruitment of football coach Jim Mora.
The state's U.S. Senators, Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, have locked horns with the NCAA on a variety of issues, including name, image and likeness. The NCAA altered its rules in 2021 to allow student-athletes to profit off their name and brand, but the organization has asked federal lawmakers to pass a national law that will provide uniform guidelines.
The federal government has yet to act on the issue.
Baker, 66, has been an immensely popular governor in a strongly blue state, winning re-election in 2018 with 67 percent of the vote. The former health care executive has no background in college administration or athletic administration, although he did play basketball at Harvard in 1977-78.
“The NCAA is confronting complex and significant challenges, but I am excited to get to work as the awesome opportunity college athletics provides to so many students is more than worth the challenge,” Baker said in a statement. “And for the fans that faithfully fill stadiums, stands and gyms from coast to coast, I am eager to ensure the competitions we all love to follow are there for generations to come. Over the coming
months, I will begin working with student-athletes and NCAA members as we modernize college sports to suit today's world, while preserving its essential value.”
Emmert, who served as provost and chancellor for academic affairs at UConn from 1995 to 1999, has been a controversial figure as head of an organization with a revenue of over $1
billion. Emmert earned $2.9 million in 2021 and has come under fire the NCAA's handling of gender-equity issue and for the organization's reaction to NIL.