Football and business are set to collide after Jason Wright is named president in Washington.
After the Washington Football Team had been without a president since Bruce Allen was fired after the 2019 season, the team has hired Jason Wright as team president, making him the first Black team president in NFL history and only the fourth former player to ascend to that role, ESPN reports. He is set to lead a franchise that has undergone severe changes in the past several months.
Wright said that what excites him is the convergence of his two worlds: football and business, but highlighting that he understands the significance of his hiring. He also embraces the challenge of coming to the NFL while facing the obstacles of a pandemic and at a time when “the Washington Football Team is at a unique moment, and the NFL, for better or worse, is at the center of so much important dialogue around the role of sport, the players finding their voice about the things they care about.”
“When I was a third-down back, I wasn’t worried about what the left tackle was doing,” he said. “I trusted him to do his job, and I do my job. I want to set that norm for us on the business side as well, where we have people that are trusted to where we really believe in the folks working alongside us. Make sure they have the tools to succeed, but then let them fly.”
Jason Wright will be tasked with helping to change the culture in Washington. Another challenge will be to help locate an area to build a new stadium.
