Connect with us

Published

on

The family of the late Peter Seidler is exploring a potential sale of the San Diego Padres, the team announced Thursday.

In a statement, Padres chairman John Seidler, the franchise’s control person and Peter’s older brother, wrote the team will “undertake this process with integrity and professionalism in a way that honors Peter’s legacy and love for the Padres and lays the foundation for the franchise’s long-term success.”

Peter Seidler was part of the group that purchased the Padres in 2012, became the franchise’s largest stakeholder in 2020 and invested in the team in unprecedented fashion, outfitting the roster with star players on long-term contracts and running the payroll higher than $250 million in 2023, all with the goal of delivering the first championship to San Diego.

Seidler died that November at the age of 63.

The Padres are in the midst of the greatest run of success in franchise history, making the playoffs three times in four years and winning 90-plus games in back-to-back seasons. Petco Park, nestled in the heart of downtown San Diego, has enjoyed record-setting attendance along the way, drawing at least 3 million fans in each of the last three seasons.

But the Padres lost their local media contract early in the 2023 season, eliminating a crucial source of fixed revenue, and the franchise has scaled back its spending since Seidler’s passing. The Padres slashed payroll by about a third going into 2024, to roughly $172 million, though they went back up to about $215 million in 2025.

Those constraints, when coupled with lucrative long-term commitments to the likes of Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr., has limited the maneuverability of general manager A.J. Preller.

Lately, dissent has surfaced within Peter Seidler’s family. In January, Peter’s widow, Sheel, sued two of his brothers, Robert and Matthew, in an effort to gain control of the team, claiming that she and her three children had been “effectively ostracized” from the organization since her husband’s death. The lawsuit remains in Texas probate court.

Major League Baseball approved John Seidler as the team’s control person in February.

Now, after what was described in a news release as “months of careful consideration and consultation with trusted advisors,” John Seidler could sell the Padres.

“During the process and as we prepare for the 2026 season, the Padres will continue to focus on its players, employees, fans and community while putting every resource into winning a World Series championship,” John Seidler wrote as part of his statement. “We remain fully committed to this team, its fans, and the San Diego community.”

The team has appointed the firm BDT & MSD Partners to guide the potential sale.

Continue Reading

Sports

Ex-‘Last Chance U’ coach shot on Oakland campus

Published

on

By

Ex-'Last Chance U' coach shot on Oakland campus

A senior member of the athletics staff at a community college in Oakland, California, was shot on campus Thursday, the second time in two days the city has had a shooting at a local school.

The Oakland Police Department said it was investigating the shooting that occurred just before noon at Laney College, where officers arrived to find a man with gunshot wounds. The victim was taken to a hospital and his condition was unknown.

The man later was identified as John Beam, the current athletic director and former head coach of the Laney football team. Beam and the Laney Eagles were featured in the 2020 season of the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U.” The docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges looking to turn around their lives.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said she was “heartbroken” by “the second shooting on an Oakland campus in one week.”

“My thoughts are with Coach John Beam and his loved ones. We are praying for him,” Lee said in a prepared statement. “Coach Beam is a giant in Oakland — a mentor, an educator, and a lifeline for thousands of young people. For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family.”

Lee added: “We are standing together, praying for Coach Beam and his loved ones.”

Thursday’s incident came a day after a student was shot at Oakland’s Skyline High School. The student was in stable condition. Police said they arrested two juveniles and recovered two firearms.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Colorado AD will step down, take advisory role

Published

on

By

Colorado AD will step down, take advisory role

Colorado athletics director Rick George will step down from his role at the end of the academic year and become a special advisor to the chancellor, the school announced Thursday.

George has been the AD in Boulder since 2013, returning to the school where he once served on legendary football coach Bill McCartney’s staff as the recruiting coordinator and assistant athletic director for football operations. This coincided with Colorado’s only national title in 1990.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Athletic Director for the University of Colorado for the last 13 years, but after considerable thought and discussions with my family dating back to last spring, I have decided it is time for new leadership to guide the department,” said George. “I wanted to make this announcement now in order to give Chancellor Schwartz plenty of time to find the right person for Colorado, and I look forward to doing everything I can to ensure a smooth transition.

“I also wanted to time my announcement so that I could support Coach Prime and our football team this season, which I’m looking forward to continuing in my new role.”

During his tenure as athletics director, George oversaw the development of a new athletics building attached to Folsom Field and was named the Athletic Director of the year in 2023-24 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

His time as AD will perhaps be most remembered by his hiring of Deion Sanders as football coach, which generated significant national interest in Colorado football. He also returned Colorado to the Big 12, which represented a significant domino in the collapse of the Pac-12 following UCLA and USC’s departures for the Big Ten.

George also spent time as a member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and served on the Division I Council.

“Rick’s contributions to our university in his 13 years as head of our athletic department have been incalculable,” Chancellor Justin Schwartz said. “He is a nationally respected leader who has always kept CU at the forefront of the dynamic and highly competitive landscape of college athletics. I am grateful for his leadership and am elated he has decided to stay on as a Special Advisor and AD Emeritus.”

Prior to becoming AD, George was the Chief Operating Officer for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.

The school did not announce a timeline for hiring a replacement.

Continue Reading

Sports

Yurachek replaces Rhoades as new CFP chair

Published

on

By

Yurachek replaces Rhoades as new CFP chair

The College Football Playoff management committee has formally approved the return of Utah athletic director Mark Harlan to its selection committee and named current committee member and Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek its new chair, the CFP announced on Thursday.

The moves come hours after Baylor athletic director and selection committee chair Mack Rhoades took a leave of absence from his job for personal reasons amid a university investigation.

“We are deeply appreciative of Mack Rhoades’ leadership and service as chair of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee this season,” CFP executive director Rich Clark said in a news release. “Mack has informed us of his decision to step down for personal reasons, and our thoughts are with him and his family during this time. We are pleased to announce that Hunter Yurachek will assume the role of Selection Committee Chair, effective immediately. Hunter’s experience, integrity, and commitment to the game make him exceptionally well-suited to lead the committee as it continues its important work throughout the remainder of the season.”

Harlan previously served a one-year term during the 2023 season. The CFP typically requires athletic directors on the selection committee to be active, “sitting” athletic directors. Because Rhoades was the Big 12’s nomination, he was replaced by a Big 12 athletic director. The 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua unanimously agreed to the changes.

Harlan is not the only committee member in his second stint with the group, as former Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long – also the CFP’s inaugural chairman – is participating again this season. The 12-person group was already one member short this season after committee member Randall McDaniel also stepped away last month for personal reasons.

Rhoades told ESPN on Thursday that he initiated the leave from his Baylor role but declined to explain why.

Baylor told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that the university received allegations involving Rhoades on Monday. The allegations do not involve Title IX, student welfare or NCAA rules and do not involve the football program, indicating it is a separate incident from Rhoades’ alleged altercation with a football player during a September game.

Jovan Overshown and Cody Hall will serve as Baylor’s co-interim athletic directors, a school spokesman told Rittenberg. Overshown is the school’s deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, and Hall is Baylor’s executive senior associate athletic director for internal administration and chief financial officer.

Continue Reading

Trending