Jason Wright becomes NFL’s first-ever Black team president
Wright made history with the Washington Football Team on Monday (Aug. 17).
Jason Wright has become the National Football League’s first-ever Black team president, the Washington Football Team announced on Monday (Aug. 17). Wright joined the Washington, D.C. team, which went through a name and logo change earlier this year, to handle the team’s business operations.
“This team, at this time, is an ideal opportunity for me,” Wright said in a statement. “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. We want to set new standards for the NFL.”
Wright spent seven years with the NFL as a running back. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2004 and has played for the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals. Besides being the first African American team president, Wright is also the fourth former player to hold the position.
According to a press release, he will oversee Washington Football Team’s finances, sales and marketing. Wright previously earned his Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and is a partner at the global strategy and management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company.
“I think first and foremost it’s obviously very personal for me,” Wright told “Good Morning America.” “[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,” he added. “… 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.”