UPDATE – August 21st
Leiweke will be leaving MLSE by June of 2015.
MLSE confirms Tim Leiweke is leaving the company. Will stay until June 2015.
— Luke Wileman (@LukeWileman) August 21, 2014
Leiweke "with new opportunities on horizon, it’s time for me to begin the transition from sports & entertainment executive to entrepreneur."
— Luke Wileman (@LukeWileman) August 21, 2014
UPDATE: Leiweke went on Tim and Sid and addressed the rumours.
Tim Leiweke denies he's going anywhere: "Any report stating that I am leaving MLSE is untrue."
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) August 19, 2014
I’m not convinced, though.
Tim Leiweke signed a two-year non-compete with his previous employer AEG. Once two years are up, he'll go elsewhere, I'm told.
— steve simmons (@simmonssteve) August 19, 2014
Bob McGowan claimed months back that Tim Leiweke would leave MLSE in the near future. What most thought was crazy talk may come to fruition soon enough, as reports indicate that the man who has transformed the organization may be leaving.
Hearing MLSE president/CEO Tim Leiweke will be leaving the company soon. (1/2)
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 19, 2014
Not sure of where he's going, but hearing the reason is he is looking for a new challenge.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 19, 2014
I've heard Leiweke has been eyeing the exit door, just in case. Been reframing expectations for a while. And his family hated the winter.
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) August 19, 2014
Also, Leiweke leaving could be tied to the likely demise for Toronto's NFL group. That was a priority for him.
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) August 19, 2014
It’s hard to believe this is all hogwash, especially after the numerous reports that his family didn’t like it here compared to Los Angeles.
At this point, the relevance to the Toronto Raptors isn’t too high, as he’s already done his job. Leiweke was brought in to put the right people in the right places. Masai Ujiri runs the show now, Toronto FC has Jermaine Defoe, and the Toronto Maple Leafs have Brendan Shanahan.
Regardless, Leiweke was certainly a fantastic CEO for MLSE and he will be missed, especially when it comes time to recruit Kevin Durant, host the All-Star game, and all that good stuff. Hopefully the organization has learned enough with him here, and the culture that he developed will remain for years to come.
