Month: March 2022

On Monday, the International Ice Hockey Federation (“IIHF”) announced that Russia and ally Belarus are banned from its events “until further notice” in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The ruling affects seven tournaments, including the men’s world championships in May in Finland, and Russia will be barred from two August tournaments, the rescheduled world junior championships in Canada and the women’s world championships in Denmark. The IIHF also said it was pulling the December-January world junior championships out of Novosibirsk, Russia.

IIHF federation president Luc Tardif said in a statement:  “The IIHF is not a political entity and cannot influence the decisions being taken over the war in Ukraine. We nevertheless have a duty of care to all of our members and participants and must therefore do all we can to ensure that we are able to operate our events in a safe environment for all teams taking part in the IIHF World Championship program. We were incredibly shocked to see the images that have come out of Ukraine. I have been in close contact with members of the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine and we hope for all Ukrainians that this conflict can be resolved in a peaceful way and without the need for further violence.”

The NHL also released a statement regarding the Russia/Ukraine conflict: “Effective immediately, we are suspending our relationships with our business partners in Russia and we are pausing our Russian language social and digital media sites. In addition, we are discontinuing any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions involving the NHL. We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL Clubs, and not on behalf of Russia. We understand they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult position.”

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Miami Marlins CEO and shareholder Derek Jeter announced a surprise departure from the organization on Monday after 4 1/2 years.  Jeter said in a statement: “Through hard work, trust and accountability, we transformed every aspect of the franchise, reshaping the work force and developing a long-term strategic plan for success. That said, the vision for the future of the franchise is different than the one I signed up to lead. My family and I would like to thank our incredible staff, Marlins fans, Marlins players, and the greater Miami community for welcoming us with open arms and making us feel at home. The organization is stronger today than it was five years ago, and I am thankful and grateful to have been a part of this team.”

Jeter was part of the group that won the right in August 2017 to buy the Marlins in a $1.2 billion deal.  Jeter had a 4% stake in the purchase, coming on board as the CEO in September 2017 when principal owner Bruce Sherman bought the team from Jeffrey Loria.  Sherman said in a separate statement: “We have a deep bench of talent that will oversee both business and baseball decisions while we work to identify a new CEO to lead our franchise.” 

The Marlins had the fourth-worst record in baseball over Jeter’s four seasons, making the playoffs only in 2020 during the pandemic-affected year.  Miami went 218-327 during his four seasons at the helm, finishing with a winning record only once at 31-29 in the 2020 season. In the full seasons under Jeter, the Marlins went 63-98, 57-105 and 67-95.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said:  “I thank Derek for his service to the Marlins, the communities of Miami and the game. Derek is a winner on and off the field … a pillar of our game and we look forward to his future contributions to baseball.”

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