NFL executive vice president of finance and chief financial officer Anthony Noto has decided to leave the NFL after two years, effective Oct. 4, and return to Goldman Sachs as a partner in the investment banking division of the firm and co-head of the global media group.
NFL senior vice presidents Joe Siclare (treasurer, club and labor finance), Neil Glat (corporate development), and Mike Smith (finance and administration) will continue to lead their respective areas.
Executive vice president of business operations Eric Grubman, who has an extensive background in finance and led that department when he joined the NFL in 2004, will oversee the finance group through at least the duration of the collective bargaining negotiations with the NFL Players Association. Grubman also will continue to lead NFL business ventures.
Prior to joining the NFL, Grubman spent 14 years at Goldman Sachs, where he led the firm's sports business and played a major role in negotiating the sales of the New England Patriots in 1994, the Cleveland Browns expansion franchise in 1998 and the New York Jets in 2002. This year, he oversaw the successful transfer of ownership of the St. Louis Rams from the Rosenbloom family to Stan Kroenke.
Siclare has been with the NFL for 18 years, Glat for 14 years and Smith for seven years.
"With the proven leadership and experience of Joe Siclare, Neil Glat, Mike Smith, and Eric Grubman, I am confident that we are well-positioned to meet the challenges ahead, and to succeed both financially and in reaching a fair agreement with the players' union," Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo to NFL clubs.