Usually it’s best when a team’s CEO doesn’t end up in the news, but the Suns Rick Welts made an exception earlier this year when he came out of the closet as a gay man. Doing that in the world of professional sports takes serious courage and it sparked a good debate about homosexuality in sports.
In a surprise, Welts has decided to step down from his job as CEO. His last day with the Suns will be Sept. 15. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic spoke with him.Welts told The Arizona Republic Friday morning that he is not leaving for another job but to be in another city. In the past year, Welts started a new relationship and his partner is in Sacramento. He plans to do speaking engagements and perhaps take an offer to write a book.
“The most important thing for me is to get my personal and professional lives better aligned,” Welts said. “They’ve probably never been aligned. I’m 58 years old and it’s time to do that.
“This isn’t one of those departures to see greener pastures. It really is completely a personal situation. These guys have been tremendously accommodating and any other inference than that is absolutely crazy.”This is a loss for the Suns, Welts is well respected around the NBA. But sometimes people do step down for personal reasons and not just use that as a shield when they are in trouble. That seems to be the case here. All we can do is wish Welts the best of luck with whatever he ends up doing next. And don’t worry, you can probably still get some Suns tickets at a fair price.