The beleaguered and much-ridiculed Washington Football Team created shockwaves throughout the NFL and sports world on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, when it hired the first Black president of football operations.
“Good Morning America” co-hosts Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan, himself a retired NFL Hall of Famer, announced the surprise hire. Wright, who played for seven years in the league, becomes the first African American and youngest president of a pro football team at 38 years old.
So excited to join the movement that the Snyders and Coach Rivera have launched. Ready to dive in! https://t.co/kmeFKsCKKp
— Jason Wright (@whoisjwright) August 17, 2020
The Washington Football Team fills the void at that position after owner Daniel M. Snyder fired Bruce Allen in December 2019. Snyder also had hired another person of color, Ron Rivera, as head coach and had him oversee football operations as a way to have a unilateral voice for the team.
Despite his relative youth, Wright joins the squad armed with an illustrious resume in his post-playing days with a bevy of Fortune 500 and other companies.
“I’m a football player first,” Wright said in his interview with GMA. “And then [I] became a businessman and cut my teeth helping some of the most complex and most important organizations around the world transform over the last few years. So, for me, it’s personal, an opportunity to help bring together my two worlds in a really unique way in a really unique time. And the fact that I happen to be Black and the most qualified person for this is a boost.”
Check out Wright’s interview with Strahan below:
Congratulations Jason Wright! @michaelstrahan talks one-on-one with the first-ever black @NFL team president who will lead @WashingtonNFL. https://t.co/6P7sdBJ5js pic.twitter.com/BKhd25EN8Y
— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 17, 2020
