As the NFL prepares to kick of the regular season, the Washington Football Team made a historic announcement Monday naming Jason Wright the league’s first ever Black team president.
WASHINGTON — As the NFL prepares to kick off the regular season, the Washington Football Team made a historic announcement Monday naming Jason Wright the league’s first ever Black team president. The newest addition to the Washington organization joined “Good Morning America” exclusively to discuss the opportunity and his plans for the future of the team.”I think first and foremost it’s obviously very personal for me,” he said, adding that he has played football since he was seven years old. “[I] played a decent amount of time in the league and then became a businessman and cut my teeth in some of the best business schools. I have been helping some of the most complex and important organizations around the world transform over the last few years, so for me it’s personal and an opportunity to bring together my two worlds in a really unique way, at a unique time.””The fact that I happen to be Black and the most qualified person for this is a boost,” Wright said. Wright also shared his perspective on joining the team amidst turmoil and shared his plans as the new president for making changes from the inside out.”Part of what excited me about taking this role — we had a phrase when we played that said, ‘You don’t talk about it, you be about it,’ — and I think what I’ve seen from Dan and Tonya Snyder in the hiring of coach Rivera and some of the decisions they’ve made, to have an independent investigator come in around the sexual harassment allegations, there are actual shifts in action that suggest it’s a new day, and that’s why I’m excited to take this on,” Wright explained.”It’s a culture transformation first to make sure that we have an organization that people want to be a part of and that itself will start to expand the value of the franchise and make the good things happen,” he added. The new leader joins the franchise after seven years in the league as a running back who was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent and played with the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals. His responsibilities will include leading the organization’s business divisions, including operations, finance, sales and marketing, the team said Monday.
