Mark R. Bacon—Main Event Sports DC
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. The surprise announcement was made Monday morning on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Wright, 38, is also the league’s youngest team president. A former running back, Wright played in the NFL before going into business, most recently serving as a partner for the consulting firm McKinsey & Company out of their Washington office.
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, but those who met Wright during the process came away very impressed, a person with knowledge of the situation said.
Wright arrives at a tumultuous time for the franchise, which announced last month that it was abandoning its 87-year-old “Redskins” name amid sponsor pressure. Snyder’s three minority ownership partners, who hold a roughly 40 percent stake in the franchise, are trying to sell their shares. In a Washington Post story last month, 15 female former team employees and two female sportswriters described a culture of sexual harassment that had existed inside the organization, prompting Snyder to commission an independent review by an outside law firm.
Washington has been without a president since team owner Daniel M. Snyder fired Bruce Allen on Dec. 30. Snyder hired Ron Rivera as head coach and to oversee football operations two days later, saying he wanted Rivera to be the singular voice who spoke for the organization.