AP News, March 1st, 2007
Portland Trail Blazers president and general manager Steve Patterson unexpectedly resigned Thursday, the team said.
Tod Leiweke, chief executive officer of the Seattle Seahawks, will take over Patterson's duties in the interim while a replacement is found, said Vulcan Inc., team owner Paul Allen's company.
Patterson has been the team president since 2003. He took over the general manager duties after John Nash was fired last May.
Leiweke will continue to serve in his role with the Seahawks. Both the Seahawks and the Blazers are owned by Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft.
"With my contract soon to expire and after discussions with Paul and Tod I concluded this was simply the right time to step away," Patterson said in a statement. "I take great pride in what we achieved during my time in Portland and am confident we have placed this organization on a path that will result in success for many years to come. We have faced and overcome significant challenges in the past four seasons and now is the right time for the team to push ahead with new management."
Leiweke, 47, also will become the CEO of a newly formed management company, Vulcan Sports & Entertainment.
Vulcan Sports will oversee the Trail Blazers, and all properties currently run by the Seattle Seahawks. The company will also run the Rose Garden Arena and Memorial Coliseum, upon successful completion of Vulcan's negotiations with Portland Arena Management to reacquire the property, according to Vulcan.
"Over the last couple of years, we've created some great memories for Seahawks fans," Leiweke said. "I look forward to creating the opportunity for Portland and all the Trail Blazer fans to have those same experiences."
