Hurley, who was on medical leave before relinquishing his position, says it was simply time to move on.
"I'd been with the federation for 20 years -- three as a volunteer -- and it was the right time to leave," he says.
"There's nothing more to it than that.
Hurley says the decision to depart was a mutual one, between himself and the Sport North board of directors.
"It's something I've been thinking about for a while. We talked it over during the summer and agreed it was time to make a change. There are no bad feelings. I didn't leave on hard terms."
Hurley says he has no plans for the future other than spending more time with his family.
"I'm not making any decisions right now," says Hurley, who added he doesn't plan on moving to find work.
Doug Rentmeister, sport manager for Sport North, has worked with Hurley for seven years. He says he's sad to see him go.
"Obviously he's done a lot for sport in the Territories," says Rentmeister.
"He was there in the early stages when Sport North was formed. There's been a lot of growth in sport in his time."
Jean Hinton, president of Sport North, was unavailable for comment. Two weeks ago she denied rumors that Hurley was fired.
Sport North ran an advertisement for Hurley's position in the Oct. 14 edition of News/North.