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The B1G tried to keep the secret quiet until the Tuesday press conference, but the name of the next conference commissioner has leaked out, thanks to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Minnesota Vikings chief operating officer Kevin Warren is expected to be named the next commissioner of the B1G, according to Schefter. The news came on Monday night, hours after the league sent out a press release saying a new commissioner would be introduced during a press conference on Tuesday.
Warren, 55, has been with the Minnesota Vikings since 2005 and has worked in the NFL since 1997, with the exception of a two-year window in which he worked for an international law firm. Assuming the reports are correct, Warren would become the first African-American commissioner of a Power Five conference.
Minnesota Vikings’ chief operating officer Kevin Warren is expected to be introduced Tuesday as the next commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, sources told ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and me. Warren, 55, would become the first African-American commissioner of a Power Five conference.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 4, 2019
Warren will replace Jim Delany, who announced he will retire following the 2019-20 academic calendar year. Delany has served as the B1G commissioner since 1989.
Delany is responsible for expanding the conference from a 10-team league to 14 schools. He also helped in the creation of Big Ten Network and has secured very lucrative television contracts for the conference in the last decade.
The press conference to introduce the new commissioner will be at 12 p.m. ET and will air on Big Ten Network.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB