Moline’s Vibrant Arena Fires Executive Director After Drunk-Driving Arrests
After a 20-year career leading Vibrant Arena at The MARK, Scott Mullen has been fired as executive director, due to three drunk-driving arrests since 2020. Rocky Jones (the arena’s assistant executive director/director of finance) has assumed the position’s duties until further notice.
The board of the Illinois Quad City Civic Center Authority (IQCCCA) moving forward with a specially-appointed committee addressing longer term succession will likely be an upcoming topic at future meetings, attorney Roger Strandlund said Monday. The board has its next monthly meeting scheduled for Aug. 21 at 12:30 p.m. at the arena’s administrative offices, 1201 River Drive, Moline.
The board on July 17 adopted the recommendation of the IQCCCA executive committee to terminate Mullen’s employment, with cause, effective immediately. In May 2025, he self-reported that he was arrested in Clayton County, Iowa for driving under the influence of alcohol, in a vehicle provided by the authority for his business and personal use. Subsequent to this admission, the authority learned that he similarly had prior OWI arrests, in 2024 in Dubuque County and 2020 in Scott County, also in a vehicle provided for his business and personal use, as a fringe benefit to his employment.
Scott Mullen
A July 17 letter to Mullen from the arena noted that he failed to report the 2024 incident to the board and didn’t report the 2020 incident to all board members, which were violations of his employment agreement.
“Allegations indicate that you have failed to maintain the highest standards of business integrity, exemplary conduct and respect for the community,” the letter said. Mullen violated the prohibition of being under the influence of any illicit drug or alcohol while in the workplace, on duty, or while operating a vehicle or equipment owned or leased by Vibrant Arena.
“You have also placed the arena at undue risk of liability and loss of reputation as the CEO of the organization,” the letter said. “Your position as director holds you to the highest level of integrity and conduct as you set the standard and serve as a model for other employees.”
At a July 10 pre-disciplinary meeting, Mullen was placed on paid administrative leave while this investigation was conducted.
It was concluded that he was not completely candid or accurate in his statements at that meeting, the July 17 letter said. Originally, Mullen said he was not familiar with the arena’s drug and alcohol policy. Later, he aimed to direct removal of the prohibition against driving a vehicle owned or leased by the arena while under the influence, implying he had not violated the policy with which he originally stated he was not familiar.
Further investigation found that his statements regarding that were not true, and Mullen’s statements about the authority vehicle – that it was never used for business and he never drank alcohol on the job or in the Quad Cities – were proven untrue, the letter said.
“Clearly the implication from you was that you had not engaged in misconduct because being under the influence in an arena vehicle was not prohibited in writing,” the letter said. “Further investigation found that your statements about that were not true.”
“Submissions for gas reimbursements for local and out of town business trips refutes your position regarding use of the authority vehicle. First-hand accounts of witnessing your consumption of alcohol at authority events refute your statements in that regard as well,” the letter said. “Your lack of truthfulness compounded the already serious findings of your off-duty consumption of alcohol in an authority-provided vehicle and the negative impact on the trust in you by the authority, the increased risk of liability caused by your behavior and the potential damage to the reputation of the arena by such conduct from its highest positioned executive.”
The board vote to discharge Mullen for this “unacceptable behavior” was unanimous.
IQCCCA board chair Paul Mulcahey wrote to arena staff on July 21 that Mullen was terminated from his job, but did not cite a reason. “We wish Mr. Mullen well in his future endeavors and thank him for his contributions to the Vibrant Arena’s excellent reputation within the entertainment venue industry,” that letter said. “We are confident that we will continue to make the Quad Cities a popular destination and the Vibrant Arena a highly regarded venue.”
Mullen was just the second executive director in arena history when he took over in 2005 (from Steve Hyman), after serving five years as general manager of Nassau Coliseum, just outside New York City. The nearly 12,000-seat arena (which opened in 1993) had its most profitable year under Mullen, with a $2-million profit for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, and he helped negotiate the 10-year, $4-million naming rights deal in 2022 with Vibrant Credit Union.
Mullen had also served as director of arenas worldwide for the International Association of Venue Managers, helping arenas navigate the COVID shutdowns, and restrictions necessary to allow them to reopen after 2020, including access to the federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
In the week leading up to his July 2025 termination, Mullen pleaded with the arena to keep his job, pledging he was giving up alcohol and changed his ways.
On July 14, in a letter to the board, he said he made it his highest personal priority to understand how he got into that situation and ensure it never happened again. Mullen entered an intensive 30-day alcohol rehabilitation inpatient program, calling it one of the hardest things he ever did, causing his wife “significant pain, anxiety and emotional distress.”
The issue already hurt his four children, each of whom was planning to be married this year. “The remorse I feel is deep and immeasurable,” Mullen wrote. “However, something positive has come from this painful experience. Through the program, I gained clarity about the underlying issues that led to my behavior and learned valuable tools to ensure that alcohol is no longer part of my life.”
He said he’s made a commitment that he will never drink again, and also enrolled in a six-week intensive outpatient program, to build on what he learned “and maintain accountability and support,” Mullen’s letter said. He emphasized that his drinking never affected his work and he never drank while on the job.
“Alcohol was limited to vacations, a few holidays, and fishing trips,” he wrote, noting he consumed alcohol 10 times in the past year. “The issue wasn’t frequency, it was control. On rare occasions, once I began drinking, I wasn’t fully aware of how much I consumed. I haven’t drank publicly in the Quad Cities since my first OWI in March of 2000. I do not drink in local bars and the only times I drove after drinking were following fishing trips – something I deeply regret and will never repeat.”
Mullen said he planned to give back, in service work for others who may be struggling with alcohol. He offered support, guidance and awareness, he wrote.
With relationships he’s built with athletic departments at Drake University and University of Northern Iowa, Mullen said he would speak to student athletes about the dangers of alcohol. “Binge drinking often starts in college, and left unchecked, it can become a lifelong issue,” he wrote. As a former Drake football player, Mullen said he story would resonate with others.
“I want to show how even occasional drinking can lead to serious consequences,” he wrote. “I am committed to change, to accountability, and to using this chapter of my life to help others. Losing my job could worsen my legal situation and derail the positive progress I’ve made.”
Mullen asked to remain in his position and said he would accept a job demotion to arena director of booking. At the time, he also attached a draft agreement for Vibrant Arena to retain him on a contractual basis for booking and consulting services, for a total fee of $150,000 for the first year.
He sent another letter July 17 to the board asking to reconsider his potential termination.
“I have worked with unwavering loyalty and have maintained an exemplary record throughout my tenure,” Mullen wrote. “I am sincerely struggling to understand the direction things have taken. I feel isolated – unable to speak with board members or receive communication in return – and I am left with difficult questions. Am I being viewed as a problem employee? Is there a broader motivation I am not aware of?
“I ask these questions not to challenge, but because I care deeply about this organization and my role in it,” he wrote. “I fully understand the gravity of my legal situation and take complete responsibility for my actions. I’ve made it my top priority to confront and correct the issue, and I am actively taking every step necessary to ensure it is resolved permanently.”
Mullen reminded the board of the alternative option for him to continue working as a consultant, to ensure continuity for the arena.
“With my extensive experience and longstanding relationships within the live entertainment industry, I am confident in my ability to continue delivering strong results, while also saving the authority as much as $150,000 annually in compensation,” he wrote. “This building and its people have been the center of my professional life for over a third of my lifetime. I hope you will allow me the opportunity to continue contributing to the future of this organization that I love.”
The board packet for its July 17 meeting also included four testimonial letters in support of Mullen’s work and reputation, from leaders of the Quad City Steamwheelers, Quad City Mallards, Columbus (Ohio) Arena Sports & Entertainment, The Ohio State University, and Dallas Fair Park in Texas.
“Scott sees the challenge in front of him and I know he has the character to get through it, and regain the trust and admiration of the people around him,” Jim Wynkoop of Dallas Fair Park wrote July 16. “His success has not been an accident, but the result of arduous work, team building and integrity. These are his core values and will continue to make him successful. His character will prevent him from ever again disappointing himself or anyone else.”
The next major events at Vibrant Arena are the Steamwheelers playing Aug. 9 for the IFL Eastern Conference Championship, and an Aug. 14 concert with Heart and special guest Todd Rundgren.
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