Colorado Springs – Troy Ellerman, a lawyer who pleaded guilty last week to leaking grand-jury testimony in baseball’s BALCO steroid case, has resigned from his job as commissioner of the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association.
Ellerman submitted his letter of resignation to the PRCA board of directors on Monday night.
“Due to the fact that I have entered a plea of guilty in the BALCO case, I believe it is in the best interest of the PRCA to resign from my position as commissioner,” Ellerman said in the letter.
Ellerman, a former rodeo cowboy who purchased a home in Woodland Park about two years ago, had served as commissioner since January 2005. He earned $203,800 annually. Prior to becoming commissioner, Ellerman served as the organization’s chairman of the board.
Ellerman represented Victor Conte, founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, a lab based in Burlingame, Calif., that is at the center of a federal steroid probe. Ellerman later represented BALCO vice president James Valente.
Ellerman admitted in court papers filed last week that he allowed San Francisco Chronicle reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada to view transcripts of the grand-jury testimony of baseball stars Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and sprinter Tim Montgomery.
Ellerman faces two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
PRCA board chairman Keith Martin will serve as the interim chief executive for the association, supported largely by dues paid by rodeo cowboys.
“We appreciate Troy’s hard work and dedication to the PRCA during his tenure as PRCA commissioner,” Martin said. “Thanks in part to his leadership, the PRCA achieved a multimillion-dollar financial turnaround, and is now strong, stable and in position for solid growth.”
Under Ellerman’s tenure, the PRCA sold the rights to key PRCA properties, enabling the association to turn itself around financially.
Leon Vick, a former board member who lives in Lyons, said the board should have relieved Ellerman of his duties last week when he entered the guilty plea.
“I think it looks terrible for the association to go as long as they did without acting on anything,” Vick said.
Casey Beard, also a former board member, said the organization needs to learn by its mistakes and take time to consider who should be appointed to replace Ellerman.
“We should analyze the needs of the association. What went wrong? Why did it go wrong? Do we even need a commissioner? Perhaps it is time to look at another structure, another organizational model so that we ensure that the board members run the organization with a clear understanding that they’re responsible to everything that happens to it,” Beard said.
Staff writer Erin Emery can be reached at 719-522-1360 or eemery@denverpost.com.
