Welts Ends Brief Tenure as Fox President

Rick Welts resigned Wednesday as president of Fox Sports Enterprises, only months after he was hired to oversee Fox’s ownership interest in professional sports teams, including the Dodgers.

Welts, who came to Fox last July after 17 seasons with the NBA, said in a statement released by parent company News Corp. that he is resigning because “much of what I was hired to do had already been accomplished.”

Welts’ most conspicuous move was the late September firing of Dodger President Bob Graziano. Graziano, who is close to new Dodger Chairman Bob Daly, was rehired this month, and Welts, 46, no longer had any authority over the Dodgers.

Welts was the NBA’s No. 3 executive before moving from New York. He handled the league’s marketing, consumer products and sponsorship activities.

Sports marketers said at the time of his hiring that Welts’ challenge would be to craft a cohesive marketing plan for Fox’s growing sports holdings, including a 40% stake in Staples Center. Fox also owns part interests in the New York Knicks, the New York Rangers and Madison Square Garden, and the company holds options for stakes in the Lakers and the Kings.

“Fox remains committed to playing a major role in a wide range of sports enterprises worldwide, in addition to our ongoing sports television business,” Chase Carey, News Corp.’s co-chief operating officer, said in a statement.

Fox didn’t say whether it planned to replace Welts.