Washington Hire Former Running Back Wright as NFL’s First Black Team President

The Washington Football Team on Monday hired Jason Wright as team president, making him the first black person to hold that position in NFL history.

At 38, he becomes the NFL’s youngest team president and will run the organization’s business operations with head coach Ron Rivera maintaining control over football decisions.

Wright, a running back for seven years with Atlanta, Cleveland and Arizona, was a captain for the Cardinals and their NFLPA representative during labor negotiations in 2010-11.

“If I could custom design a leader for this important time in our history, it would be Jason,” owner Dan Snyder said. {snip}

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As part of the national debate over racism following George Floyd’s death in police custody in Minnesota, Rivera also launched internal initiatives aimed at educating players and staff and allowing minorities’ voices to be heard. Wright seems to fit into that, as well.

“Jason has a proven track record in helping businesses transform culturally, operationally and financially,” Snyder said. “He is a proactive and assertive advocate for inclusion of all people and will set new standards for our organization, and for the league.”

The club with a storied history dating to its Boston roots in the 1930s and three long-ago Super Bowl titles is in a phase of transformation. It will be called the “Washington Football Team” for at least the 2020 season, with Terry Bateman spearheading the process to determine a new full-time name. Snyder is also seeking a new stadium to be in place when the lease at FedEx Field expires in 2027.

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