Wright played seven years in the NFL with four teams before retiring and going into businessGETTY IMAGES
The Washington Football Team has hired Jason Wright as its new team President, making him the "first Black person to hold the position for an NFL team and putting him in charge of the franchise's business operations," according to Les Carpenter of the WASHINGTON POST. The 38-year-old Wright, who most recently served as a partner for consulting firm McKinsey & Co., also is the league's "youngest team president." Wright's hire "was a surprise, as the team tightly guarded the move while negotiations were finalized in recent days." He was "not someone whose name was frequently mentioned in league circles as a prime candidate for an executive job with an NFL team." Washington "told few employees about his potential hire." The team "has been without a president" since Owner Dan Snyder fired Bruce Allen on Dec. 30. Snyder hired Ron Rivera as coach and to "oversee football operations two days later, saying he wanted Rivera to be the singular voice who spoke for the organization." However, in recent months, it "became clear that non-football responsibilities were taking up a lot of Rivera's time" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/17).
CHANGING THE CULTURE: ABC's Michael Strahan during his interview this morning with Wright on "GMA" noted the challenges the team has faced this year, including its name change and sexual harassment allegations, and asked Wright what his plans were to change the organization from within. Wright answered, "What I've seen from Dan and Tanya Synder and the hiring of coach Rivera and some of the decisions they've made to have an independent investigator come in around the sexual harassment allegations, there are actual shifts of action that suggest it's a new day." Wright continued, "Coach Rivera has talked a lot about this on the football side, establishing a new culture, a new way operating, rooted in values around inclusion and transparency. That's exactly what we're going to do on the business side. It's a culture transformation first to make sure that we have an organization that people want to be a part of, and that itself will start to expand the value of the franchise and make the good things happen" ("GMA," ABC, 8/17).
DAWN OF A NEW ERA? In DC, JP Finlay writes for most of Snyder's ownership, the Washington Football Team has "relied on a group of insiders with close ties and a long history of working together." That "changed significantly" today with Wright's hiring. The role of team president had "largely sat vacant since the dismissal of Brian Lafemina a few years back" (NBCSPORTSWASHINGTON.com, 8/17). NFL Network's Peter Schrager said Wright was an "inspired hire" for the role. Wright is someone who is "more than qualified," but he is only 38, which is a "youth movement we have not seen at that position in an NFL building" ("Good Morning Football," NFL Network, 8/17).
STILL WORK TO DO: In N.Y., Ken Belson writes Wright is "aware that he will be blazing a trail as the first Black team president." Wright: "For any people of color, when you're the first of anything, it's meaningful." Belson writes the NFL "has been repeatedly criticized for the lack of diversity in its management ranks," as there are "only two team owners of color." People of color "make up less than 20 percent of senior administration positions at the league's 32 clubs." Last season, there were "only two club presidents or chief executives who were people of color" and there are "only two female team presidents" in the league currently (N.Y. TIMES, 8/17).
