Hired by Washington Football Team
by Rob Taylor Jr.
Courier Staff Writer
Who would have ever thought that there would be a Black president of the United States before there was a Black president of an NFL team?
More than 230 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, Barack Obama became the first African American president in 2008.
And, almost shockingly, it took 100 years of the National Football League being in existence before finally, Jason Wright, a 38-year-old former player-turned business consultant, was named president of the Washington Football Team.
The announcement was made on Monday, Aug. 17, only a few weeks after the Washington Football Team was lambasted for alleged sexual harassment claims by 15 women who formerly worked for the team in various capacities.
The Washington Post report resulted in the ouster of managers and the early retirement of the team’s longtime broadcast voice.
It also resulted in owner Daniel Snyder vowing to change the culture of the team, the team that’s off the field. On the field, in December 2019 he hired Ron Rivera, the former Carolina Panthers head coach, to bring the on-field team back to life.
Snyder also had to oust the longtime nickname of the Washington team, as team sponsors threatened to pull their massive ad dollars. The name had been seen as offensive to Native Americans. The New Pittsburgh Courier is not using the team’s former nickname.
But the hiring of Wright seems to have curried favor for Snyder and the Washington franchise as a whole. Wright played seven seasons in the NFL and was the labor-union representative for the Arizona Cardinals in 2011. After his playing career, he received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He made his imprint while working with global strategy and management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he became partner in the Operations Practice, based in D.C.
As president, Wright will focus on all the business-related aspects of the team.
“If I could custom design a leader for this important time in our history, it would be Jason. His experience as a former player, coupled with his business acumen, gives him a perspective that is unrivaled in the league,” Snyder said in a statement. “We will not rest until we are a championship-caliber team, on and off the field. Jason has a proven track record in helping businesses transform culturally, operationally and financially. He is a proactive and assertive advocate for inclusion of all people and will set new standards for our organization, and for the league. There could not be a better duo than Jason Wright and Coach Ron Rivera as we usher in a new era for Washington Football.”
About Post Author
