The Washington Football team made a historic announcement this morning as the NFL team hired former running back Jason Wright as its new president, making him the youngest and first Black president of an NFL team, according to Bleacher Report.

Wright — who previously played seven NFL seasons before transitioning to business — most recently served as a partner at McKinsey & Company — a well-known management consulting firm. Now he’s bringing his talents back to the sports world.

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

“This team, at this time, is an ideal opportunity for me,” Wright told Good Morning America. “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 will be leading the franchise’s business operations, finance, sales, and marketing as well as helping to rebuild its rebranding efforts in terms of both culture and business.

Washington owner Dan Snyder referred to Wright as a “proactive and assertive advocate for inclusion of all people” in a statement.

In terms of his new job title, Wright shared that becoming the team’s new addition in the midst of turmoil is a challenge, but also an opportunity to make valued changes.

“The fact that I happen to be Black and the most qualified person for this is a boost,” Wright said to Good Morning America. “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.”

The Washington team has been under fire recently for a toxic work culture and sexual misconduct allegations in addition to their name change, according to Bleacher Report. The new changes the NFL team is making is serving as an example of how they’re moving forward in a new direction.

“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,” said Wright.

Jason Wright

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