Jim Rocco

Managing Director, PRCG | Sports

Jim Rocco is Managing Director of PRCG | Sports. Jim has a broad background in sports marketing, branding and public relations across a range of sports industries. He has also been active in crisis communications in sports and entertainment matters and is an accomplished sales professional.

Jim’s experience includes more than 15 years at HBO Sports, working on a myriad of sports-related issues, including boxing, football, golf and other programming. He worked with programs such as Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Inside the NFL, On The Record With Bob Costas, and Hard Knocks. He managed numerous outside agencies in all phases of sports marketing, branding and promotion, and liaised with talent, their representatives and HBO’s creative team on a range of issues, including appearances, negotiations and crisis and other sensitive issues.

Jim also served as Director of Marketing at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, one of the premier sports and entertainment destinations in the tri-state area. In that role, he devised innovative sports marketing campaigns for a variety of events, including boxing matches and college basketball tournaments such as the Men’s NCAA basketball tournament and the ACC championship. He has negotiated with boxing promoters and the Commissioners of athletic conferences, and coordinated public relations and paid media in print, television, digital and emerging technologies.

In the golf arena, Jim has been involved in numerous golf events, including tournaments, sponsorships, appearances and golf-related documentaries.

Jim is a graduate of Long Island University, with a B.F.A., Cum Laude, in Communications.

Jim Haggerty

President and CEO

James F. Haggerty, President and CEO of PRCG | Sports and its parent company, PRCG | Haggerty LLC, is a communications consultant and author with more than twenty-five years of experience counseling corporate, nonprofit and individual clients. With areas of expertise ranging from sports & media matters, to financial and professional services, to healthcare and the environment, Jim is frequently called upon as a trusted advisor in all manner of sensitive domestic and international reputation management issues.

In sports-related fields, for a decade Jim has been the chief strategic communications advisor and spokesman for the owner of some of the most prominent brands and media properties in golf. He has also worked for individuals, team owners and brands in a range of sports-related matters, including on behalf of large retailers, apparel and footwear companies and others. He consulted and lectured frequently on the collegiate sports, including the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) issues roiling the NCAA and its members. As an author, Jim has written on sports issues Forbes, Sports Business Journal and GOLF magazine, among others.

Jim began his career working for the Mayor of the City of Binghamton, NY, in their effort to bring a minor league baseball team to the city, earning him the nickname “Mr. Baseball” (which is ironic, since Jim is likely the worst outfielder you’ll ever meet). The Binghamton Mets (now the Rumble Ponies) did eventually relocate to Binghamton shortly after Jim had been called up to the staff of United States Senator Daniel P. Moynihan.

In the area of high-profile crisis and other sensitive communications issues, Jim is considered one of the nation’s foremost experts. He has worked on sports-related investigations, crisis issues in the horse racing industry, as well as numerous legal disputes, including the some of the largest product liability, intellectual property, antitrust and employment cases in history. He has also worked on matters in the U.S. and globally involving government investigations, insider trading and financial fraud, sexual harassment, product recalls, accidents and workplace violence.

Chambers & Partners, the prestigious international directory, has named Jim one of the top communications professionals in the United States for four years running, calling him a “powerhouse” who “thinks on a different level than most PRs,” bringing a “double barrel of legal and PR experience” to his work. PR News also recently named Jim to its list of 50 Game Changers of PR for his work as a “trailblazer” in communications.

Jim’s latest book, Chief Crisis Officer: Structure and Leadership for Effective Communications Response (ABA Publishing), was released in an updated paperback edition in 2019. Chief Crisis Officer has been positively featured in the Harvard Business Review, Fortune and Entrepreneur magazine, among others. His first book, In The Court of Public Opinion, is widely considered the most influential book in the litigation communications field. Now in its second edition, In The Court Of Public Opinion is a groundbreaking look at the use of communications and public opinion strategies during lawsuits. Financial Times called In The Court of Public Opinion “… the perfect handbook for this age…” The book was also positively featured in publications including The Boston Herald, The New York Law Journal, American Lawyer, Law Society Gazette, The Washington Post, The Holmes Report, PR Week and O’Dwyer’s PR Newsletter.

Jim studied at Marist College and holds a B.A. in Political Science and English Literature and Rhetoric from Binghamton University. He studied Law at Fordham University in New York and Stetson University in St. Petersburg, Florida (J.D.). He is admitted to practice Law in New York and Florida, and is a member of the New York City and New York State Bar Associations. Jim’s articles and other writing have appeared in USA Today, The New York Times, Forbes, The National Law Journal, the New York Law Journal, Law Practice Management, PR Week and numerous other publications.

Cristopher Bruce

Senior Account Executive

Cris Bruce is a Senior Account Executive at PRCG | Haggerty LLC and its sports brand, PRCG | Sports. He is also a producer of the PRCG | Sports podcast, “Crisis Communications in Sports,” which features in-depth interviews with some of the top newsmakers in the sports industry.

Cris has a background in politics, fundraising and city government, beginning his career as an assistant to Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix, Arizona. He went on to become Finance Associate at Angerholzer Broz Consulting, where he developed and fostered relationships with corporations, unions, trade associations, and other organizations. Early in his career, he worked on the Philadelphia-area congressional campaign of Scott Wallace, and as a canvasser for PennEnvironment. An avid sports fan, he was also an intern at War Room Sports, where he created social media strategies and content for sports platforms.

Cris holds a B.S. in Political Science from Arizona State University, with a minor in Communications.

Joe Grigas

Account Coordinator

Joe Grigas is an Account Coordinator at PRCG | Haggerty LLC and its sports brand, PRCG | Sports. He is also a producer of the PRCG | Sports podcast, “Crisis Communications in Sports,” which features in-depth interviews with some of the top newsmakers in the sports industry.

Joe has a background in marketing, social media management, content creation, and graphic design. He is a graduate of DeSales University, where he holds a B.S. in marketing and management. During his time at DeSales he was a four year member of the varsity baseball team and was responsible for the team’s social media management and content creation. As an avid sports fan, Joe has broad knowledge in a variety of fields, and is well-versed on issues across the field of sports. Joe also has experience collaborating with marketing departments at nonprofit organizations, including The Special Olympics and Girls on The Run.