History was made on Monday when the Washington Football Team appointed its first black team president, Jason Wright.
Jason Wright, a 38 year old former NFL player and business partner with international consulting firm McKinsey & Company, takes the position of team president to transform the image and culture of the Washington Football Team. His position makes him the youngest team president in NFL history, as well as only the fourth former player to be selected for the role.
Wright comes from a strong background of football and business. He spent 7 years in the NFL playing for the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, and Arizona Cardinals. After playing for seven seasons, Wright announced his retirement from the NFL in 2010 to attend business school. He obtained his MBA from the University of Chicago in 2013.
“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,” said Daniel Snyder, the Washington Football Team owner. “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.
Wright hopes to transform the reputation and culture of the Washington Football team. The franchise has faced many difficulties in the past year. Former team president Bruce Allen was fired on December 30, which left Washington with out a team president since the 2019 season. In late May, the killing of George Floyd – an unarmed black man who was a victim of police brutality – created an important conversation in the country, which was directed to the toxic culture and lack of diversity in the NFL’s administrative roles. In late July, the franchise announced that they retired the former name of the team due to its racist history, and feedback from many communities. On top of the continuous changes, many top employees were fired by Snyder after The Washington Post published a detrimental report which included accusations of sexual harassment in the workplace. Nonetheless, Wright has confidence that he can create a progressive image for the franchise, and indicated that it’s a “new day” for the Washington team.
“This organization is going through wholesale transformation on multiple fronts,” Wright said during a phone interview. “This is going to be a very challenging but exciting time.”
Wright’s duties as the team president includes being “responsible for leading the organization’s business divisions, including operations, finance, sales, and marketing,” according to a release from the franchise.
“The transformation of the Washington Football Team is Happening across all aspects of the organization — from football to operations to branding to culture — and will make us a truly modern and aspirational franchise,” said Wright.