Bloomberg Business of Sports reporter Scott Soshnick has revealed that ISE CEO Hank Ratner will step down and continue as an adviser at ISE for the next month. This news comes just two years after Ratner left Cablevision in 2016 for an executive slot at ISE, which boasts offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Indianapolis.
Ratner would later issue this exit statement (via Liz Mullen):
“I’m very proud of the culture and strong operational foundation we created to transform Independent Sports & Entertainment and position the company for sustained growth. It has been a pleasure working alongside ISE’s talented executives and employees and I know great things are ahead. I appreciate Ron’s understanding of my decision to move on and his continued support.”
The previous three years have been trivial for Ratner. In 2015, his sons, Scott and Michael, engaged in an altercation with a woman in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. As a result of the charge, Scott would be required to pay $4,000 in restitution and spend 10 hours of his time towards community service. A year before that and Ratner would depart as CEO/President of Madison Square Garden Company following a $1 billion cosmetic upgrade to The Garden.
Then there’s the drama between himself and late NBA power agent Dan Fegan. Fegan, who started out at the agency in 2013 – known then as Relativity Sports – would tell a story of disrespect served by no other than Hank Ratner.
The two parties would argue back-and-forth in court – Fegan’s primary point-of-interest would be that Ratner “orchestrated a Machiavellian conspiracy” that would starve Fegan of his clients. Ratner and ISE, on the other hand, would aim to rip Fegan’s world to shreds, citing this “publicity stunt,” his “rehearsed allegations” and a “breach of contract.” In the case of Fegan vs. Ratner, Fegan would seek $30 million in damages for all he would lose due to ISE’s alleged bullying.
While it’s a sad day for Ratner, operations at ISE will continue nonetheless. That’s an important principle to have at an agency, especially when it concerns Justin Verlander, DeMarcus Cousins, Miguel Cabrera, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and many others.
ISE’s C-suite is currently occupied by baseball CEO Mark Pieper, basketball President Joe Dumars and football Co-president Roosevelt Barnes.