The Atlanta Falcons announced a contract extension for team president and CEO and President of AMB Sports & Entertainment Rich McKay on Tuesday morning.
McKay, who played a big role in the process of bringing Mercedes-Benz Stadium to Atlanta, earned a five-year extension that will keep him with the club through June 2022.
"Rich has been so important to our businesses and Atlanta's growth for many years. We are thrilled to extend his contract with the Falcons and AMB Sports & Entertainment," AMB Group, LLC, chief executive officer Steve Cannon said in a statement. "He has been instrumental in the success of the Atlanta Falcons on and off the field and has played a very important role in making Mercedes-Benz Stadium a reality, and in bringing Major League Soccer to Atlanta. Rich is a great champion of our core values and will continue to be a strong leader in our organization and community for years to come."
In addition to his role with the Falcons, where he's spent the previous 13 years, McKay has also been a key member of the NFL Competition Committee for 23 years, serving as chairman since 2011. He was suspended from his competition committee role for nearly five months in 2015 after a league investigation found the Falcons used fake crowd noise during games at the Georgia Dome in 2013 and 2014.
McKay is credited for playing a large role in helping to renegotiate and extend the league's current collective bargaining agreement.