LIV Golf has lost its chief operating officer and the man many claimed was a voice of reason for the breakaway circuit, according to a report in the New York Times.

Atul Khosla, 43, has resigned as LIV’s COO. The sports business veteran left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January to join LIV, and this summer, he outlined LIV’s business model and attempted to counter the notion that the league is “sportswashing” backed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

“Like any other startup, do we have upfront costs to get the product off the ground? Yes, we do. And it is no different than a burn rate that an Uber may have or any other startup tech might have to get the product off the ground with a vision of disrupting the space,” Khosla told Golf Digest. “We are fortunate, of course, to have an institution that has the patience to be able to go through this methodically and in the right fashion.”

Following a limited schedule in 2022, LIV Golf plans to play 14 events next year, but the circuit faces significant challenges, including the need for a domestic television deal and world ranking points for its events.