Douglas G Gibson

Mr. Gibson represents the firm’s sports clients, including Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, the United States Tennis Association, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also has extensive experience in the consumer products industry, representing such clients as Benetton International S.A. and Giorgio Armani, S.P.A. Mr. Gibson’s practice emphasizes strategic counseling; mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures; debt financings; and sports media transactions. Mr. Gibson has significant expertise in cross-border transactions gained both during his tenure at Covington and through his prior experience as General Counsel of Bacardi Limited. In addition to negotiating and structuring transactions, he advises clients on general corporate and strategic matters, including corporate governance issues and senior executive employment and incentive arrangements. REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS Representing the Independent Advisory Committee to the United States Olympic Committee, chaired by Paul Tagliabue, in its assessment of the board structure and operations model of the USOC. Representing the National Football League in the negotiation of its television contracts with CBS, FOX, NBC and ESPN and in the negotiation of its Sunday Ticket out-of-market package with DirecTV. Representing Major League Baseball in the launch of The MLB Network, including the negotiation of joint venture arrangements with distributors for ownership of the channel. Representing the National Football League various league and team financings, including in the NFL’s $2.5 billion league-wide commercial paper and term note financing program and in its G-3 stadium funding program. Representing the National Hockey League in the recent sales of the Buffalo Sabres, the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Representing the United States Tennis Association in its acquisition of interests in various U.S. Open Series tennis tournaments, including a controlling interest in the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters professional men's tennis tournament held annually in Mason, Ohio and in the licensing of the sanction for a Tier I women's professional tennis tournament to be held in conjunction with the men's event. More Representative Matters PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE Bacardi Limited, General Counsel and member of the Executive Committee (1998-2000). While at Bacardi, Mr. Gibson oversaw the Company's acquisition of the Dewar's Scotch Whisky and Bombay Gin brands, including the required $2 billion multinational financing for that transaction. He also managed the negotiation and implementation of the Company's production and distribution joint venture with the Chinese government and the establishment of a Bacardi manufacturing and distribution venture in India.