Texas A&M’s athletic department laid off more than a dozen staffers Tuesday, including several high-ranking administrators.
Among those released Tuesday were Justin Moore, executive deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, as well as Chris Park, deputy athletic director for external relations and business development, Tyler Pigg, associate athletic director for branding, creative and communications, and James Duncan, director of football technology, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.
Deputy athletic director Kristen Brown confirmed with The Eagle that she was a part of the group laid off, after serving as a deputy athletics director since 2020. Jamie Wood, assistant athletics director for NIL, also confirmed with The Eagle that he was let go. He served in that role since May 2023, moving to Aggieland from Ohio State.
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Associate athletic director for equipment and apparel Matt Watson, A&M Class of 1995, confirmed he was one of the cuts after serving in the Aggie equipment room for 34 years. He will be able to draw his retirement early, he confirmed.
New Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts told The Eagle that the layoffs were not related to budgetary concerns regarding former head coach Jimbo Fisher’s buyout, but “reorganization related to existing and emerging threats to our business model.”
“We are on the cusp of unprecedented change in the world of intercollegiate athletics,” Alberts said in a statement provided to The Eagle. “As a department, we have to adapt and become more efficient and effective so that we are best positioned for the changes to come. However, what will not change is this: student-athletes are our priority and making sure their experience at Texas A&M is second to none is our goal.
“This morning, we met with several individuals to inform them that, in light of the upcoming changes to our administrative structure, they will not be employees of the athletics department in the future. These changes are difficult and let me state emphatically, these people have done nothing wrong. These are good, hard-working members of the Aggie family and their service is greatly appreciated. I can assure you, this was not personal, it was a business decision, and a very difficult one at that.”
Alberts made no further comments, citing the fact they were personnel-related issues.
Several court cases loom over college athletics and its model of amateurism. Most notably, House v. NCAA challenges the NCAA’s rules regarding how athletes can and cannot make money and seeks damages from TV revenue and social media earnings past athletes could have made. The class-action antitrust case seeks damages of more than $1.4 billion, which could be tripled as is the case in awards that occur in successful antitrust cases. Individual universities will be on the hook to split either the cost of the damages from losing the lawsuit or settling, the latter of which, most believe, will include a new model of revenue sharing with athletes in the future.
“If you model some of the numbers, depending on how it gets allocated, you’re looking at between a $15 and $20 million number. Not one time — annually — going forward,” Alberts said at his introductory press conference. “That will be a new expense category that athletics are going to have to deal with.”
There are also several cases involving the National Labor Relations Board challenging whether athletes are employees of the university and, therefore, would be able to unionize and collectively bargain with conferences or athletic departments.
The $76.8 million buyout A&M is currently paying Fisher still looms over the athletic department. Per Fisher’s contract, $19 million was paid within 60 days of his termination. Another $7 million was paid within 120 days of his firing and the remainder will be paid in equal annual payments through 2031.
Former athletic director Ross Bjork, who was at the helm of the department when Fisher was fired, stated that A&M’s athletic department and the 12th Man Foundation would be the sole sources necessary for paying the buyout.
A&M’s athletic department already has found other ways to balance the checkbooks. A new TV contract between the SEC and ESPN will pay out more than the average $51.2 million paid out from the 2022-23 fiscal year. Kyle Field is also being leveraged in new ways this summer, hosting an international soccer friendly between Mexico and Brazil, as well as a concert featuring George Strait. Park played a big role in organizing those events.
Brown joined A&M after serving as an associate athletic director at Maryland. She served over the engagement unit that supported administrators and coaches and oversaw the compliance department. She was the senior administrator for women’s basketball, volleyball, soccer, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s swimming and diving.
Moore, a 2004 and 2007 graduate of A&M, has served in the Aggie athletic department since 2012 after a brief stint at Houston. In his most recent role, he worked with Bjork in the overall day-to-day operations of the department and served as the administrators for football and men’s basketball. He was also at the forefront of A&M’s capital projects and Centennial Capital Campaign.
Park, an A&M graduate from the classes of 2002 and 2004, came back to A&M in 2022 after serving as a senior athletic director for external affairs at Washington State. His role oversaw athletic communications, marketing, ticketing, creative services and video operations. He was also the administrator for baseball.
“Chris is a dear friend. He’s an Aggie. He was a big part of our program,” A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “He was our sport administrator and he was invested in our program and he’s still invested in our program. I hate that for him and his family. Those decisions are made above me, but Chris is a big part of us and he’ll remain a big part of our team this year, for sure.”
Alberts has made one addition since joining the Aggie athletic department, bringing former Nebraska executive assistant to the athletic director Linsey Chamberlin to Aggieland. According to her X social media account, she is now an assistant athletic director.