Following reports from the NY Post and verified by various independent sources close to the team, the New York Red Bulls will soon announce the firing of President of Business Operations, Chris Heck.
Heck, an NBA executive who was hired in June of 2011, became the face of the fans angst stemming from general issues including (but not limited to) ticket price increases, cuts in season ticket holder benefits and a general disconnect perceived to be irreconcilable.
His latest infraction – what he dubbed an “experiment” – was requesting a 1pm start to a midsummer match that was played in 101 degree temperatures. The decision did not sit well with fans of the club nor their decision makers.
Aside from those issues, a team source indicated season ticket sales, sponsorship problems and general public relations were the primary concerns surrounding his dismissal.
In a year with many peaks and valleys, one achievement Heck proudly touted was a June 24th sellout against DC which set a franchise record (25,187).
A source told EoS the Red Bulls would make the announcement official within the next day or two. They do not plan on rehiring someone in his place until after the season, opting instead to take a “committee approach” with upper management in relation to his job functions.




Best personnel decision of the year. Now if only we could do the same thing to a certain CB…
Sending resume in three… two… one…
kidding.
Take one for the team! lol
He did sound worn down during the last Seeing Red interview. For me, the timing fit with the disasterous STH renewal yesterday (my online order kept getting stuck at the last step to send RB my money, losing out on some of the incentives for early renewal), but he certainly messed up a lot in just over a year of service. Also, it never even occurred to me that the absence of the Taco Truck, the Portuguese BBQ stand, etc could have been Heck’s decision as well (as mentioned in a Yahoo reaction story). Hopefully stuff like this does not affect the team going forward (for example, the team did a nice job against Spurs, esp. in the first half, and no one got hurt).