MEMORIAL MASS FOR ROCCO B. COMMISSO

MEMORIAL MASS FOR ROCCO B. COMMISSO

Duomo di Firenze - Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore
Remarks by Giuseppe B. Commisso
January 26, 2026 6:00 PM

Buonasera, Firenze. Grazie.

Your Eminence, clergy, dignitaries, friends, members of the Fiorentina family, and the people of Florence - thank you for welcoming us into this sacred cathedral, at the heart of Florence, as we remember Rocco B. Commisso, my father - a man who made people feel they mattered, and who made this city proud.

We said goodbye to him in the United States, but tonight belongs to Florence, because his heart was truly at home here.

Because we are gathered for Mass, we bring our grief to the altar and commend him to the mercy of Jesus Christ. We ask the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints to pray for him, trusting that the Lord who sees every act of love will welcome him in peace. May God grant him rest, and comfort every heart that misses him.

I will never forget his first day at the Franchi, standing on the field and looking up at the people of Florence. He was deeply moved by you, and he said, simply: 'Vi voglio bene.'

In these last days, you have shown our family something we will never forget. I have seen flowers and scarves and handwritten notes at the gates of the Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park. I have read "Grazie Rocco." And I felt that love - deeply.

And I want to share something important to my family: in his honor - and because it's what he wanted - Fiorentina will always use the full name, the Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park, in every communication. You'll hear us say it that way, and it's simply because we've come to believe something: saying his name is a way of keeping him close. Each time his name is spoken, his gift to Florence is remembered.

My father's story began in Calabria, shaped by Giuseppe and Maria Rosa, who taught him faith, sacrifice, and family. And family remained the center of his life - Catherine, his wife of more than 50 years; Marisa and me; his late brother Nicola; his sisters Raffaelina and Italia; and the many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews he adored.

My father was an extraordinary man - direct and determined, yes - but also full of heart, and deeply loyal to the people he cared about. And Florence came to know that side of him. He built Mediacom from the ground up - not just as a business, but as a mission built on work, dignity, and respect for people. And he never cared much for titles - he would tell anyone, "Call me Rocco," not CEO, not Presidente.

Then, in 2019, he came to Florence and bought Fiorentina - and for him, it was personal. He chose Fiorentina to give back to Italian football what it had given him - and he gifted the club a home on which to build the foundations of its future. He wanted Florence proud again: proud of the shirt, proud of the spirit, proud of what Fiorentina represents.

In just a few years, Fiorentina returned to the biggest stages - a Coppa Italia final, and two European finals. Those nights reminded us: Florence can dream again. He lived those nights like one of you - with his heart in his hands. My father used to say with a smile, "Running Mediacom is hard… but Fiorentina is even harder." And then he added, "And I love it even more."

Just think: the Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park is the biggest training center in Italy. It is a true home for the entire Fiorentina family - men's, women's, and youth - built with world-class medical and recovery facilities, and crowned by the chapel dedicated to Santa Caterina. It was Cardinal Betori himself who inaugurated the Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park. Rocco wanted excellence - the kind that makes Florence proud: hard work, respect, and ambition.

And he did not only build - he gave.

During the Coronavirus emergency, he helped rally the 'Forza e Cuore' campaign to support hospitals here in Florence. And when he went to the Meyer Children's Hospital, he didn't go as an owner or a businessman - he went as a father. He brought jerseys, footballs, small gifts in purple, and above all, smiles - directly to the children. And you could see it in their faces: they were happy.

More than anything else, my father loved his family. And in these days, what has moved me to the core is hearing the same thing again and again: once people truly got to know him, they didn't feel like employees, or colleagues, or fans - they felt like family. At Mediacom, at Fiorentina, and here in Florence, he had a rare gift: he made people feel that they belonged. He respected everyone - whether you were a Presidente or a doorman. I can almost hear him today - smiling, maybe giving you a gentle tap on the cheek, and always asking first: 'How are your loved ones? That was him: direct, and affectionate.

He would have wanted to say goodbye to Florence - the city that welcomed him, embraced him, and loved him back. Tonight, we do that - and we also make him a promise: we will carry forward what we built together in his name. And I want you to hear this: under our stewardship, we will keep building Fiorentina - with vision, discipline, and respect for Florence and the tifosi. Fiorentina will always come first, and together with Alessandro Ferrari and Mark Stephan - and with all the people who work for this club every day - we will continue along the path we began, with humility, unity, and heart.

Thank you, Florence, for the love you have shown our family. Your love for my father is the greatest honor of all. 'Vi voglio bene.'

Tonight, we pray for Rocco B. Commisso - and my family will keep Florence in our prayers as well.

Babbo… Grazie. Ti voglio bene. Sempre.

Forza Viola.

About Mediacom Communications

Mediacom Communications Corporation is the 5th largest cable operator in the United States and the leading gigabit broadband provider to smaller markets primarily in the Midwest and Southeast. Through its fiber-rich network, Mediacom offers high-speed data, video, phone, and mobile services to over 3 million households and businesses across 22 states. The company delivers scalable broadband solutions to commercial and public-sector customers of all sizes through Mediacom Business and sells advertising and production services under the OnMedia brand. More information about Mediacom is available at mediacomcable.com.