One of the most tumultuous offseasons for a club in NFL history has finally begun to result in some progress for the Washington Football Team. Washington announced on Monday that 38-year-old Jason Wright has been hired as the team’s president, making him the first Black executive to hold that position in the NFL. Wright played in the NFL for seven seasons as a member of the 49ers, Falcons, Browns and Cardinals.
“What other job would they come together at such a unique time for an organization at the point our team is? I’m just happy I landed in this role at that time,” Wright told ESPN in an interview. “There are other reasons it’s historic, but that’s a byproduct of me being the right and qualified candidate at this time. All of that is just icing on the cake.”
“What it tries to signal is that, at least in this organization, the hindrances that tend to be in place around Black talent in other places are breaking down,” he said, “and that should send a signal more broadly to the shift in culture that Dan and Tanya Snyder, Coach Rivera and myself are now trying to make.”
Along with his previous experience in the NFL, Jason Wright also brings heaps of business experience to the table. Wright would attend business school and obtain his MBA once he retired from the NFL following the 2010 season.
Though former president Bruce Allen was involved in football decisions, Wright says his focus will be geared towards the business side of things primarily. Allen was fired in December 2019 after nearly 10 seasons with the club.
Along with head coach Ron Rivera, Wright will have a daunting task ahead of him in bouncing back from the toxic culture that has surrounded Washington’s organization for years. With a team name change on the horizon and a revamped coaching staff and front office, Wright will have every opportunity to help steer Washington in the right direction but there’s still a long way to go for Washington.
