Tom Penn steps down as LAFC president, John Thorrington and Larry Freedman to share interim role

Tom Penn is stepping down from the role of LAFC club president to pursue an independent business venture providing personal protective equipment to MLS and other sports leagues, the club announced.

Penn will remain engaged with LAFC as an executive consultant. Chief business officer Larry Freedman and executive vice president of soccer operations John Thorrington, will share the role of interim president.

“We are grateful to Tom for his tremendous contributions to LAFC and we wish him good luck as he moves on to his new ventures,” lead managing owner Larry Berg said in a statement. “From the beginning, Tom had a clear vision of what LAFC would mean to the city of Los Angeles and it is incredible to see that dream being realized.”

Penn, who was given a multi-year contract extension in December 2019, was named the 2018 Los Angeles Sports Council Executive of the Year, and in 2019 he made Fast Company’s annual list of The World’s Most Innovative Companies and Front Office Sports’ Best Employer In Sports list in 2019.

“I am eternally grateful for my time as LAFC president and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to co-create LAFC with so many wonderful people,” Penn said in a statement. “It has been an honor and privilege to partner with LAFC’s amazing ownership group. I am so thankful for the talent, passion and commitment of LAFC’s employees who dedicate their lives to the club’s mission to unite, bring joy and be a force for good. John Thorrington and Larry Freedman are two of the most talented executives in pro sports, and I am certain LAFC will thrive.”

Tom Penn is a sports industry veteran of more than 15 years, including as co-founder and president of the Sports Leadership Institute. He spent four seasons as VP of Basketball Operations and Assistant GM of the Portland Trail Blazers before joining ESPN as an NBA analyst.