Washington Commanders majority owner Josh Harris was clear in his Monday press conference. The brand “Commanders” is not at all on his front burner.
Harris knows the Commanders will draw an interest from several capable football people. They have the No. 2 overall selection and five choices in the top 100. The new GM and new head coach will have the opportunity to get the second-best quarterback.
“I’m lucky enough to be supported by an amazing ownership group, and obviously, we think we’re an attractive destination for the next generation of leadership. This is probably amongst the most important jobs I have as a managing partner, and it’s important that I do this personally and get this right and that we bring in the right leadership.”
Harris made it clear Monday that his priority is building the leadership structure first as he is replacing Ron Rivera, and most likely, Martin Mayhew will be replaced soon as well.
“So we’re looking for the best people to build an elite franchise that’s going to consistently compete and win championships. So that’s kind of our goal in terms of the structure.
When the Harris group conducted their initial press conference in July, there were more than a few references to the success of the old “Redskins” in a previous generation. The fan base excitement instantly spread, and talk of dumping the “Commanders” brand swelled.”
In defense of the Harris group, they talked of the success of the old “Redskins;” they did not talk of changing the name back to “Redskins.”
Consequently, when asked Monday about the possibility of a new name other than “Commanders,” Harris responded, “As you can see, we’re a little busy…Working on the next improvements to our stadium, in terms of fan experience, in terms of premium areas, and fixing a lot of different things and investing in the stadium. We’re going to be rolling out a big investment program in the next few weeks, and there’s an enormous amount of detail that the business staff and some of the ownership group are working on. Then, we’ve got obviously our new home and thinking about that. Right now, our focus today is on sports first and foremost, and then these other things and so, those are our focuses right now.”
Leaders must prioritize, determining what must be done and what must not be done. Sounds like Harris has a firm foundation and discerns where his attention should be presently.