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NCAAF News: Fiesta Bowl CEO fired after investigation by the Sports Network
Scottsdale, AZ (Sports Network) – Longtime Fiesta Bowl president and CEO John Junker has been fired following a lengthy and wide-ranging investigation that uncovered, among other things, a scheme to reimburse improper political campaign contributions.
Alerted by an employee who came forward to provide information about alleged misconduct, the Fiesta Bowl board of directors formed an independent special committee to investigate.
The investigation resulted in a 276-page report with more than 1,500 footnotes that was pared down into a news release (the full report is available online).
The committee said it uncovered many facts, including:
– An apparent scheme to reimburse at least $46,539 in improper campaign contributions.
– A flawed initial investigation and an apparent conspiracy to conceal the reimbursement scheme from the Board of Directors and state officials.
– Unauthorized and excessive compensation, non-business and inappropriate expenditures and inappropriate gifts.
The board of directors, after reviewing the results of the five-month investigation, voted unanimously to fire Junker “for his role in the improper and inappropriate activities” that were uncovered, the release said.
To increase transparency, the board “adopted sweeping reforms to restore the very highest level of public trust and integrity in the organization moving forward,” according to the release.
The release said Junker failed to comply with two written directives to cooperate with the investigation and was placed on administrative leave on February 14.
The chairman of the Fiesta Bowl’s board of directors, Duane Woods, said in a statement that they were “extremely disappointed and angered by the findings” of the investigation.
“While the special committee final report speaks for itself, I must say that the actions undertaken and orchestrated by John Junker and others are shocking and completely unacceptable,” Woods said. “Their actions, unfortunately, have tainted the stellar reputation that the Fiesta Bowl has worked so hard to maintain for more than 40 years.
“The Fiesta Bowl, however, is greater than a few individuals; it is the product of thousands of dedicated volunteers and exemplary employees who work tirelessly and care so deeply about the Fiesta Bowl and all it does for the state of Arizona.”
The investigating committee was comprised of retired Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor and Fiesta Bowl directors Jim Bruner and Steve Whiteman. Two former FBI agents and a retired Maricopa County deputy criminal chief assisted them.
The investigation included “the review of more than 55 gigabytes of electronic data and of tens of thousands of pages of documents, and interviews with more than 50 individuals,” the release said.
It showed that over the past decade, Fiesta Bowl reimbursed contributions made to 25 candidates or political entities. Among them were current U.S. Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, former U.S. Representative Harry Mitchell and the former mayor of Scottsdale, Mary Manross.
None of the individuals or organizations were interviewed and no one the investigators talked to alleged that any of them had any knowledge that the Fiesta Bowl reimbursed contributions to their campaigns.
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