Could Fidelity be about to lose Bob Reynolds to the NFL? Reynolds, who is Fidelity's vice chairman and consider by many to be the likely successor to chairman Ned Johnson, is being talked about as one of five potential successors to NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Reynolds is being considered by a search committee made up of eight owners. Other names on the short list include Roger Goodell, the NFL's chief operating officer; Gregg Levy, the league's outside counsel; Frederick Nance, a Cleveland lawyer; and Mayo A. Shattuck III of Baltimore, chairman of the board, president and CEO of Constellation Energy.

Johnson downplayed the liklihood of his leaving Fidelity for the NFL, though he admitted that it remains a possibility.

"All speculation about who will be the next NFL commissioner is just that: speculation," Reynolds said in a statement. "Should the league decide to offer the job to me, I would have to consider it. But at this time, I have not been offered the job nor made any decision to leave Fidelity."

Reynolds is credited with developing Fidelity's Institutional Retirement Services Company (FIRSCo) that now dominates the 401(k) market. He is currently the chief operating officer at the fund firm and has spent the past several years overseeing an overhaul of its asset management arm.

Though it seems a stretch for Reynold's name to appear on the short list, he does have a football background. According to USA Today was a college football referee for 15 years. Korn/Ferry International identified the original list of 11 candidates. The full 32 NFL ownership roster is expected to select the next commissioner next week.  

Edited by: Sean Hanna, Editor in Chief


Stay ahead of the news ... Sign up for our email alerts now
CLICK HERE