In 2009, Rick Cordella lured PFT under the NBC umbrella. Somehow, that decision did not derail his career.
Today, NBCUniversal Media Group Chairman Mark Lazarus announced that Cordella will become the new president of NBC Sports. He replaces Pete Bevacqua, who became the athletic director at Notre Dame earlier this year.
“Rick has been at the epicenter of NBC Sports for years with a proven track record of growth and innovation across platforms, particularly our flagship NBC network as well as Peacock, where he helped architect our leadership role in sports and streaming,” Lazarus said in a press release. “Rick will oversee the evolution of our business as we continue to offer the best experiences and content to our viewers, as well as be the best partner to leagues and rights holders.”
Cordella joined NBC in 2006. In early 2009, he contacted me about a PFT/NBC partnership. I wasn’t interested. I tried to scare him away with a Costanza-style “this is the show and we’re not going to change it” routine. He said it was fine, that I’d keep full control over all PFT content.
I still wasn’t ready to do it. The next month, the servers melted down on the first day of free agency. I eventually tracked Rick down on a ski slope. He instantly mobilized to get temporary space for us on the NBC servers. It worked.
I still dragged my feet until things sputtered again, just before the draft. That’s when I knew it was time to do the deal. We had an agreement in principle on May 22, we signed the paperwork on June 8, and we went live on July 1.
It wouldn’t have happened without Rick. I trusted him, and I’m glad I did. NBC is now entrusting the entire sports operation to him. NBC will be glad it did, too.
