Jason Wright wants to utilize a strategy of engagement to rebuild the team’s relationship with fansJASON WRIGHT
New Washington Football Team President Jason Wright indicated that his background is in "shaping businesses in their moments of biggest need and said this was the 'perfect opportunity' to return to football and redirect an organization," according to Andrew Beaton of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Now, Wright "steps into a job with potential landmines in every direction." He said of becoming the NFL's first Black team president, "It’s a good signal that a league where the talent is majority black can have senior leaders on the other side who have the same demographic and ethnic background" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/18). Wright said, "There was fear and trembling in thinking about this, but ultimately I saw these as opportunities. I saw them as opportunities because of the conversations that I had with the Snyders in the lead up to being offered and accepting this role. We could have talked about business processes and polices, but we talked about culture and values. They used words like ‘inclusive culture,’ ‘transparent culture,’ ‘trust’ and ‘openness’" ("Chiney & Golic Jr.," ESPN Radio, 8/17).
IMPACT ZONE: THE ATHLETIC's Lindsay Jones wrote, "Let’s be clear: This is a big deal. A huge deal, even, because of when it happened, and where." Team Owner Dan Snyder "shouldn’t be praised for doing the right thing only under duress." But a culture "can’t change without the right people in charge, and this is the first sign that there is a commitment within the Washington organization to a substantially different process" (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/17). On Long Island, Bob Glauber writes Wright’s hiring "will not instantly transform the organization, but it should set the team on a path toward a more responsible way forward." Glauber: "The hope here is that the future can be a lot more promising than Snyder’s previous legacy. Wright’s hiring certainly feels like an encouraging place to start" (NEWSDAY, 8/18). YAHOO SPORTS' Terez Paylor writes it was a "striking hire that reverberated throughout" the league. Wright wants to utilize a "strategy of engagement to rebuild the team’s relationship with its fans." Under his stewardship, Wright "hopes Washington will engage fans frequently and give them meaningful input on things that matter -- like the development of their new team name." He explained, "They deserve something that’s tied to the history of the franchise but acknowledges the pivot we’re making toward the future and a new culture" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/18).
ON THE RADAR: USA TODAY's Mike Jones writes Wright is "no token hire," but an "example of what a clear vision and an authentic equal opportunity hiring process can produce." His background as a person, football player and businessman made him "one of the most well-rounded candidates on Washington’s radar." Wright had been "on the NFL’s radar for some time." Aware of the "impact he was having in the business world," NFL Exec VP/Football Operations Troy Vincent "tried to lure him to the league’s corporate office to help improve diversity and inclusion efforts in 2018." This time around, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "encouraged Snyder to consider Wright" (USA TODAY, 8/18). SI.com's Albert Breer wrote for Washington, there exists a "chance to reimagine the team’s image, and how it’s seen, and that a 38-year-old ex-NFL player is now the one with the brush should make the next steps all the more interesting." Fritz Pollard Alliance Exec Dir Rod Graves, who was NFL Cardinals GM for the last two years of Wright’s playing career ('09-10), said, “I really expect that he'll do very well for the team. He's the kind of person, when you meet him, you see it -- he has success written all over him" (SI.com, 8/17).
TOO LATE IN THE GAME? In Houston, Jerome Solomon writes it is "despicable that it took this long and shameful that NFL owners have long let race color their thinking when it comes to hiring the best person for the job." This is in part why Wright's hiring is "worth noting" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/18). ESPN's Mina Kimes: “This is an organization that obviously needs to undergo a massive culture change given some of the revelations that came out not so long ago about the toxic culture, sexual harassment in the workplace. ... This is just another step in putting a new face on this franchise" ("Chiney & Golic Jr.," ESPN Radio, 8/18).
