Tag: Jason Wright

Jason Wright says bringing back Washington’s old name ‘is not being considered, period’

Wright shuts down any possibility of Washington going back to its old name.

For those fans holding out hope that new owner Josh Harris would change the Washington Commanders name back to an old, familiar one, that’s not happening, according to team president Jason Wright.

During an appearance on “BMitch and Finlay,” on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., Wright was asked about a potential, specifically the former name, “Redskins.”

“It is not being considered. Period,” Wright said bluntly, per Lou DiPietro of Audacy.

A potential name change has been on the radar since Harris and his team took over on July 20. Minority owner Magic Johnson said during an interview on the TODAY Show that “everything is on the table” when asked about a name change.

When Harris was asked about the name, he didn’t mention changing the name, but he was noncommital in discussing the name, citing other areas the team was focused on, such as improving FedEx Field and the fan experience.

There was also the petition from the Native American Guardians Association (NAGA), which has over 125,000 signatures.

Finlay then asked if a rebrand was being considered at all.

“We have three big priorities for new ownership: building a championship-caliber team on the field and investing in amenities we need to do so, improving the guest experience, and re-engaging with the community,” Wright said. “Josh and the limited partners will be in the community leading up to game day, including a big kickoff party at Franklin Park on Sept. 8, so we’ll see what happens.”

Wright’s answer aligns with what Harris has said. If a rebrand is being considered, it’s not happening anytime soon.

Many fans want to see a complete rebranding. However, other fans are happy to see Daniel Snyder gone and just want to win.

Wright touted Washington’s newfound business success since Harris took over in July. He mentioned the Commanders’ new corporate partnerships, attendance at training camp and what is expected to be a sold-out FedEx Field for Week 1 in less than two weeks.

Wright’s definitive answer on the name isn’t likely to endear him to the portion of Washington’s fan base hungry for a return to the past.

Commanders renew relationship with Bud Light

Bud Light becomes the exclusive beer partner of the Commanders.

One day after the Washington Commanders announced a partnership with Verizon, the NFL franchise renewed its previous relationship with Bud Light, making them the exclusive beer provider of the Commanders.

Washington president Jason Wright released the following statement:

We are thrilled to partner with Anheuser-Busch again to create a new and improved experience for Commanders fans. Bringing Anheuser-Busch back to FedExField as a partner not only reflects their confidence in our organization, but also their commitment to our fans, who are the most loyal in NFL. More importantly, we are pleased to have a partner who shares our commitment to giving back and to supporting our military, as we continue to expand engagement programs locally for first responders and families of fallen soldiers.

Matt Davis, VP of Partnerships at Anheuser-Busch, also released a statement regarding the partnership.

We are excited to have the Commanders back on our NFL roster. This partnership continues to further our commitment to football and its local fanbases across the country. As the Official Beer Sponsor of the NFL, we want to show up in moments that matter for football fans all year long. Our history with the Washington franchise runs deep, and these fans are some of the most loyal and passionate fans in the nation. We’re excited to bring more easy enjoyment to fans throughout the year.

Bud Light previously ended its relationship with Washington in March 2022 after the NFL had hired former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White to investigate harassment allegations against former owner Daniel Snyder.

The Commanders were sold from Snyder to a group led by Josh Harris last month.

Jason Wright says a name change isn’t ‘a topic of conversation this week’

Wright named Washington’s immediate priorities, following the lead of Josh Harris and the other minority owners.

Since Josh Harris officially took over as the new owner of the Washington Commanders two weeks ago, the topic of another name change will not go away.

Minority owner Magic Johnson said in an interview on the TODAY Show that “everything is on the table.” Harris was asked multiple times about the name, and his response was it doesn’t matter what he thinks; it matters what the fans think.

Finally, another minority owner, Harris’ close friend Mark Ein — who, like Harris, is a longtime Washington fan — was asked about the name. Ein acknowledged it’s a problem for fans. All three stopped short of saying there would be a name change, and it certainly wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. The primary focus of Washington is on the 2023 NFL season, improving FedEx Field and the fan experience.

On Wednesday, in an appearance on “Up and Adams” with Kay Adams of FanDuel TV, team president Jason Wright was asked about a potential name change.

Wright, like the three owners, went into detail about the franchise’s immediate priorities. After Wright listed those priorities, Adams followed up: “So, it’s not been talked about?” referring to the name change.

Wright’s answer was brief and to the point:

“It’s not been a topic of conversation this week.”

Wright played a central role in rebranding Washington as the Commanders.

Much like Harris, Johnson and Ein, Wright named the areas of immediate focus for the new ownership. And they all center on the upcoming season, the fan experience and the community.

It’s clear that Harris wants everyone on the same page about the franchise’s immediate priorities while not ruling out anything down the road.

The name change debate continues to be a divisive topic among Washington’s fan base. Some hate the name; others just want to move on and focus solely on football. Regardless of what eventually happens, new ownership is definitely paying attention.

You can watch the full interview here:

Business has picked up since the Commanders sale

Some good news for the Commanders on the business front recently.

Remember the awkward moment earlier this year when Washington Commanders team president Jason Wright said the team would benefit financially when the Snyder family sold the team? This was when Dan and Tanya Snyder still owned the team.

Specifically, Wright said the Commanders would receive a “significant boost.”

Wright didn’t mean it as a slight to the Snyders; he even noted that they understood a sale would benefit the franchise. Wright knew — and so did everyone else — that once you remove Snyder from the franchise, some fans would return.

The biggest question was how many fans would return.

Snyder had spent 24 years destroying a loyal and passionate fan base. Some fans would stay away until he was gone, while some would never return.

Last week, the NFL officially approved Josh Harris as the new owner. Since that time, Harris has been treated as a hero.

On Thursday, fans packed Ashburn on the first open training camp practice. It was a far cry from one year ago. But has Washington already benefitted financially from the sale?

At Harris’ introductory press conference, Wright said that the Week 1 opener at FedEx Field was almost sold out. According to Matthew Paras of The Washington Times, since Snyder and Harris reached an agreement in the spring, the Commanders have 4,143 new season ticket holders. That’s a pretty considerable jump considering where Washington has been in recent years.

In addition to season tickets, total ticketing and suite revenue has already exceeded 2022. Even more impressive, since Harris took over officially last week, Paras noted that “the Commanders are selling tickets at a rate of eight-to-10 times higher than their normal daily average.”

The truth is Washington would’ve seen an increase regardless of who purchased the team. But Harris is local; he’s an experienced professional sports team owner, hugely successful, and, most importantly, relatable.

Imagine if the Commanders have a successful season.

Commanders do not renew Julie Donaldson’s contract

BREAKING: Julie Donaldson no longer Washington’s SVP of Broadcasting.

There is a shakeup in Ashburn.

Julie Donaldson, Senior Vice President of Broadcasting, is being relieved of some of her duties.

Commanders Wire observed and found it strange that Donaldson was not on camera nor facilitating any of the activities which announced the transfer of ownership to the Josh Harris group last weekend.

Commanders Wire contacted Donaldson, and she was reluctant to convey anything initially. After three consecutive days, she relented, expressing there is going to be a change in her job description and responsibilities.

Donaldson, to her credit, was careful, attempting to be a good employee as the Commanders had expressed to her that any comment needed to go through Commanders PR.

The plans currently are that Donaldson will remain a part of the Commanders Radio Broadcast team, have appearances for the team throughout the year, and will thus be working game days.

Her contract expired after three seasons, regarding her weekly duties, which included hosting and overseeing the direction of the live streams from training camp and “Command Center” shows at the Ashburn facility.

In addition to last weekend’s absence during the celebratory times on air, was Donaldson’s absence on “Command Center” Wednesday. That show was hosted by Michael Jenkins.

Those following the team will recall that Ron Rivera is in charge of all football operations, and this falls under the business operations headed by Jason Wright.

This comes after Donaldson was nominated by National Chesapeake Capital Emmy for a Sports Anchor. Yet, the Commanders are choosing to part ways with her.

The Washington NFL franchise hired Donaldson in July 2020, making her the first female regular on-air voice of Washington’s radio broadcast. By doing so, Donaldson became the first female to have a full-time position in an NFL radio broadcast booth.

When Daniel and Tanya Snyder hired Donaldson, she was brought aboard as their first hire to change the culture of the organization. She was thus the highest-ranked female in the organization.  Wright was hired one month later as team President.

She was given the freedom to hire her own team who would broadcast the games and those who would work on the productions team in Ashburn. She hired DeAngelo Hall as the analyst (later replaced by London Fletcher) and Bram Weinstein to handle the play-by-play. She also brought on Santana Moss, Fred Smoot and Logan Paulsen as part of the on-air team.

Donaldson has spoken in the past very highly regarding her broadcast team and also Ryan Yocum (Director of Studio and Broadcast production) as one who worked hard to keep things together well.

Julie had gained a decade of experience in the field, reporting on the Redskins, while working for Comcast Sports Net in Washington and then as a reporter, host and anchor for NBC Sports Washington. Previous to that decade, Donaldson also hosted the show “Mets Weekly” (MLB’s NY Mets) and “Heat TV” (NBA’s Miami Heat).

Donaldson, as requested by the team, pointed us to the Commanders Chief Communications Officer Thursday morning. At the time of publication, the team had not offered a comment.

ESPN senior writer says there is a ‘pretty good chance’ Commanders change their name

Another name change? Don Van Natta has broken many Washington stories over the past year.

One of the biggest questions surrounding the Washington Commanders after Josh Harris took over as owner is whether he and his group would consider another name change or rebranding.

Well, Harris is officially the new owner of the Commanders. And while current team president Jason Wright seemed to downplay another potential rebranding earlier this year, one plugged-in writer isn’t ruling it out and even believes it can happen.

Don Van Natta Jr. is a fantastic senior writer for ESPN. He and Seth Wickersham wrote several terrific stories regarding former owner Daniel Snyder and the toxic workplace he oversaw in 24 years as owner. Van Natta and Wickersham broke several stories regarding Snyder over the past year, including the one where Snyder allegedly told others he had “dirt” on his fellow owners.

On Thursday, after NFL owners approved Harris as the new owner of the Commanders, Van Natta was a guest on “The Rich Eisen Show,” where he was asked what the first order of business for Harris and his ownership group would be.

His answer could bring joy to a large portion of Washington’s fan base, unhappy with the name, Commanders.

Van Natta initially told Eisen that all Harris had to do was the opposite of what Snyder did, and the two laughed.

Then Eisen asked the question of the day:

“Do you think it’s possible they even change the name……….to remove all trails and traces of Dan Snyder?”

“I think so…yes…I think there’s a pretty good chance of that,” Van Natta said.

“To erase any part of the Snyder legacy, to have a complete do-over…..I would not be surprised at all, Rich, if we see a name change and complete rebranding.”

Later on Thursday, a Washington fan asked Van Natta about his comments on Eisen’s show, which he reiterated.

Wright and others have touted Washington’s rebranding to the Commanders as successful. However, if you ask most Washington fans, the rebranding has been anything but successful. While some fans are tired of the name debate and ready to move on to winning football, there remains a large portion of the fan base who want to see Harris consider getting rid of the Commanders name.

One thing is certain, not everyone will be happy either way.

Jason Wright to continue in role under Commanders new owner

Wright will have a chance to prove himself under new ownership.

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Jason Wright will be retained.

When the Josh Harris Group is named by the NFL later in July as the official owners of the Washington Commanders, apparently present Commanders President Jason Wright will not be replaced.

Ron Rivera has been in charge of the football operations since being hired by outgoing owner Daniel Snyder in 2020. Wright was hired and became the first Black team president in league history when he was hired in August 2020 to head the business operations of the Commanders.

It is hard to read what the import of this announcement actually communicates. Does it indicate Wright is safe and the Harris group is going to keep him? Is it because the purchase of the team coming only days before the opening of the 2023 seasons’ training camp, the common sense move would be to make no move? This could provide Harris time to evaluate Wright’s effectiveness during the 2023 season.

One side of the coin could be that there are those who feel Wright needs an opportunity to show what he can do under different ownership. The other side of the coin would state that the business side has executed more than a few sloppy errors, even comical at times, this being under the supervision of Wright.

The rebrand announcement televised on NBC led by Wright left viewers wondering how much forethought and planning occurred. There was little excitement when Doug Williams was asked by Wright to simply utter, “We are the Commanders.” Why so anticlimactic? Why was there no enthusiasm planned?

Then there were both Sean Taylor days being huge disappointments with, again, little to show in organization and thoughtfulness. The team also was selling mugs with the Washington State geographical design on the mug.

How in the world does that get by several people? What type of leadership and oversight was there in that process? What does that say for cultural literacy as well within the organization?

Then when the Commanders announced they were announcing the 90 Greatest players in franchise history, there was a comedy of errors, so many in fact it ceased to be funny. It was, no exaggeration, an embarrassment for a professional sports league organization.

Yet, there will be those who feel Wright deserves a clean slate, placing all of the blame for his lack of effectiveness on Daniel and Tanya Snyder. His supporters will convey that an immediate dismissal of Wright would be reactionary and not fair to him.

Ron Rivera, Jason Wright among those representing Commanders at GM forum, QB coaching summit

QBs coach Tavita Pritchard and assistant RBs coach Jennifer King are also among those representing Washington.

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In 2021, the NFL created the Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum in an effort to enhance equal opportunity and diversity. On Thursday, the NFL announced the third annual event, which will take place on June 21 in Los Angeles. The NFL collaborates with the Black College Football Hall of Fame on the event.

NFL owners and front-office personnel lead sessions and panels designed to show prospective candidates how to run an NFL front office.

Washington Commanders team president Jason Wright and senior director of player development Malcolm Bracken will be presenters or panelists for the event.

Additionally, from June 22-23, the Quarterback Coaching Summit will take place, with head coach Ron Rivera, quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard and assistant running backs coach Jennifer King on hand as panelists.

From the NFL:

Participants will gain insights and knowledge directly from quarterback coaches, offensive coordinators, head coaches and general managers. The programming will provide a platform to help prepare, educate, and identify quality minority candidates across the league. Both the Forum and the Summit will feature a variety of sessions, including how to build a coaching staff, position coach roles, analytics and how to prepare for interview sessions. There will also be sessions hosted by club ownership, including priorities and the process of selecting a head coach and general manager.

Newsome is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame from his time as a tight end for the Cleveland Browns. After his playing days, Newsome joined the Browns’ front office and, eventually, the Ravens, where he was general manager for 16 years before retiring in 2018. He still works for the Ravens as an executive vice president in personnel. He helped lead Baltimore to two Super Bowl championships during his time as an executive.

Commanders president Jason Wright talks sale, new stadium

Wright discussed the sale and stadium talks at a team event Saturday.

The Washington Commanders hosted a flag football clinic Saturday at Commanders Park, with team president Jason Wright, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and some of the team’s rookies present to help out.

After the clinic, Wright spoke to the media about Washington’s sale, specifically about possible future stadium plans.

“For us who have been talking to folks in the community behind the scenes, we’ve known that there’s positive engagement and enthusiasm for the potential, again, across all areas — Maryland, the District and Virginia,” Wright said, per Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

“And so because of that, it’s not as surprising to us, but it’s just more of a public discussion now. What I like about it is leaders are articulating a vision that we can get behind because that’s been what we’ve said all along. The best thing that we can do is get behind a vision of local leaders who know how to best develop this community economically and socially. That’s their expertise.”

Washington owner Daniel Snyder finalized a deal to sell the team to  Josh Harris last week, and since that time talk has ramped up about where the team’s next stadium could be built. A Washington D.C. councilman made his case for the Commanders to return home, while Maryland Governor Wes Moore wants to keep the team in Prince George’s County. However, Harris believes it is Virginia who could provide the Commanders with the best option.

For now, while Harris continues to work with the NFL on getting the deal across the finish line, Wright said they plan to keep operating in business-as-usual mode, hoping the sale is final sooner rather than later.

“I think if there are major line items that come above a certain level, some major things that need to be done, we’ll talk to Dan and Tanya [Snyder] about it,” Wright said. “They can broker a conversation [with Harris] potentially on our behalf. But in the meantime, we’re going to keep on operating, and hopefully, it doesn’t take long at all.”

Commanders president Jason Wright one day wants to run the football and business side of an NFL team

If Wright ran the football side, would he have made an attempt to trade for Lamar Jackson?

Mike Jones of The Athletic recently profiled Washington Commanders team president Jason Wright. It was an interesting look at Washington’s president of three years, who has had one of the most challenging jobs in sports:

Not only has Wright had to navigate multiple controversies, but he also accepted the role of Washington president just as the team had announced a name change.

Wright has drawn the ire of many of the team’s disgruntled fans for things that were out of his control. But other things were under his control, such as the team’s repeated failures to properly honor team legend, the late Sean Taylor. Don’t forget some of the errors when the team announced it was adding 10 more players to the “90 Greatest” list to celebrate 90 years as an NFL franchise.

Jones’s story covers it all. And while fans may view Wright as an outsider, he has the same goal as many of the team’s longtime fans. He wants to turn Washington back into a winner, bring the fans back, find a new stadium and use football — specifically Washington Commanders football — as a way to unite the community.

While Wright has made mistakes, he’s owned them. He’s also done good things, too.

But the most interesting nugget from The Athletic’s profile on Wright was this passage:

Meanwhile, although Wright aspires to one day run both the business and football sides of an organization, he says his goals in Washington don’t include that. He aims to simply support coach Ron Rivera, general manager Martin Mayhew and their assistants.

It’s not a surprise that Wright would want complete control of a team. After all, most team presidents are over the entire time, not just the business side. Remember, Wright played seven years in the NFL.

While Wright said his goals in Washington don’t include running the football side, Jones was recently a guest on the “Standig Room Only” podcast with Ben Standig, and he discussed Wright’s potential goals.

“He claims that his interest is not to do that in Washington, that there is too much on his plate right now,” Jones said. “But somewhere down the road in an organization. Now, talking to people around the league, there is definitely aspirations for him; they gather he wants to take over the football operations here as well. But, you know Jason will say one thing behind the scenes, though; we’ll see. I do think that you’re a long way from being able to oversee just because of how much of a mess to clean up still on the other side of the field.”

Jones talked about head coach Ron Rivera’s working relationship with Wright and Wright praised Rivera for always helping him. However, interestingly, Rivera declined to speak to Jones for this specific story on Wright.

Why? It could be nothing bad, but Jones told Standig he was surprised and noted the upcoming ownership change may have some not wanting to go on the record.

Washington fans would be interested to know something else Jones said on Standig’s podcast.

“From what I’ve gathered, he probably would have been in favor of pursuing Lamar Jackson if it was his call,” Jones said.

Considering Wright runs the business side, that shouldn’t be surprising. A trade for Jackson would’ve given a jolt to the business and football side of the building. But, it was never happening.