Tag: President

Commanders hire new team president

The Commanders have a new team president.

The Washington Commanders have a new team president. The team revealed Tuesday that Mark Clouse would be Washington’s new team president, replacing Jason Wright.

Who is Clouse?

Clouse comes to the Commanders from The Campbell’s Company, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2019. As President and CEO of Campbell’s, Clouse oversaw numerous well-known brands, such as Campbell’s, Goldfish, Rao’s, Pepperidge Farm, and others.

Washington managing partner Josh Harris said the following via a team statement.

In Mark we have found a dynamic leader with a stellar track record of guiding organizations to excellence, building brands that connect deeply with consumers, and ultimately delivering best-in-class experiences and lasting memories. Mark shares our commitment to using the power of the Commanders franchise to bring people together. As a military veteran and accomplished business builder, he has a proven ability to strengthen both the organizations he leads and the communities he serves. I am confident in Mark’s dedication to building a championship-caliber organization and to support football operations in our drive for excellence on the field.

Clouse has over 30 years of leadership experience, first graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Clouse spent six-and-a-half years as a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Army before rising to the rank of captain.

After completing his military service, Clouse joined Kraft Foods, where he spent 15 years in various leadership roles.

Clouse released the following statement through the team:

I am incredibly grateful to Josh Harris and the Washington Commanders ownership group for the opportunity to lead this iconic franchise into a new chapter of growth. The Commanders’ passionate fanbase, which has stood by this team for decades, deserves nothing less than our unwavering commitment to excellence. I look forward to supporting ownership, as well as Adam Peters and Dan Quinn, in doing everything in our power to build a championship-caliber organization.

Clouse will begin his new role in late January and will oversee all facets of the franchise’s business operations. General manager Adam Peters and senior vice president of football operations Brandon Sosna will handle all football-related matters.

Wright was named Washington’s team president in August 2020, one month after former owner Dan Snyder was forced to abandon the franchise’s popular but controversial former name. Wright and former coach Ron Rivera led the process for Washington’s new name, which was revealed as the Commanders in February 2022.

It was revealed in July that Wright would no longer serve as Washington’s team president but would stay on through the season as a senior adviser.

President Stephen A. Smith? ESPN broadcaster would consider it if he could win.

President Stephen A. Smith?

ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith isn’t ruling out the idea of eventually running for president of the United States.

Oh yes. Smith was asked on The View on Thursday the question that lots of influential pop culture personalities might start getting with Donald Trump’s election to a second term in office this week.

Would he actually consider running for president? Apparently so.

“If you came to me and you told me I had a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States of America, I would definitely consider it,” Smith said on the broadcast when asked about the possibility.

Smith’s recent appearances on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show and NewsNation hint he may have political aspirations in his future, or at the least feels very comfortable with airing his political opinions out in the open.

However, it’s not as certain he would actually find much success in a campaign since he said in the interview he would run as an independent due to his disdain for both sides of the aisle.

Like with everything in our political sphere, we’ll see what happens.

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Chiefs sign HC Andy Reid, GM Brett Veach, President Mark Donovan to extensions

The #Chiefs extended the contracts of Head Coach Andy Reid, General Manager Brett Veach, and team President Mark Donovan on Monday night.

Just days before the 2024 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs signed head coach Andy Reid, general manager Brett Veach, and team president Mark Donovan to contract extensions.

The move comes after Kansas City secured its second-consecutive championship in Super Bowl LVIII with a win over the San Francisco 49ers back in February.

In a statement sent to the press, the Chiefs emphasized the importance of Reid, Veach, and Donovan in their front office, pointing to the accomplishments that the trio have been able to achieve:

“Together since 2017, Donovan, Veach, and Reid have overseen a Chiefs team which has gone 100-34 (.746) (reg. & postseason combined), claiming seven consecutive AFC West Division Championships, four AFC Championships, and three Super Bowl Championships,” the team wrote. “The club has been in six-consecutive AFC Championship Games including hosting an NFL record five-straight (2018-2022).”

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Clark Hunt’s decision to keep these three key figures in Kansas City for the foreseeable future should prove to help the Chiefs sustain their dynasty as the team looks to continue winning Super Bowls for years to come.

Joe Biden trolls conspiracy theorists after Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII win

President Joe Biden took to Twitter to troll conspiracy theorists after the #Chiefs’ win over the #49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.

The Kansas City Chiefs are back-to-back Super Bowl champions after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 on Sunday night in a thrilling overtime contest that had America on the edge of its seat all night.

While Kansas City was celebrating their victory, users on social media were quick to attempt to poke holes in the Chiefs’ win. Some intimated that the game was fixed, others said that officiating was one-sided.

President Joe Biden, the leader of the free world, stoked the fires of conspiracy with a hilarious post on Twitter after overtime ended.

This meme is sure to have fans around the country talking on Monday morning and serves as a good indication that Biden was watching the game well into the night.

Expect more jokes and levity surrounding the Chiefs’ overtime win against the 49ers this week as the football world digests the legendary game it watched in Super Bowl LVIII.

Broncos president Damani Leech says team is working on new uniforms

The Broncos are working on new uniforms with a TBD timeline. “When we are ready to share something, we will certainly be sharing it.”

After the Denver Broncos unviewed a new alternate helmet, fans quickly began asking when new (or at least revamped) uniforms will arrive.

The Broncos hired Damani Leech as their new team president last August and the topic of new uniforms was instantly raised. Since then, Denver has sent a poll to season ticket holders asking for input about the possibility of new uniforms, and Leech has hinted on Twitter that new uniforms are being worked on.

During his pre-camp press conference last week, Leech confirmed publicly for the first time that new uniforms are on the way. There is no timeline for when those uniforms will be unveiled, though.

“We are definitely working on it,” Leech said on July 26. “When fans should expect it is still TBD. For those who know, it’s quite a lengthy process, both with the league and with Nike. Carrie [Walton Penner] has been great in this.

“She led a team of us, and we went up to Beaverton this past spring and spent a day with the Nike folks, talking about concepts, helping them understand what it means to be a Bronco and what we think about our community. We are still working on it and when we are ready to share something, we will certainly be sharing it.”

Those comments seem to suggest that the Broncos will not have new uniforms in time for the 2024 season, but that’s just our interpretation. Many fans have asked for the team to return to the old “D” logo with a lighter throwback blue replacing the current navy blue (similar to this design).

For now, we wait. As Leech said, the team will share new developments when they’re ready. We don’t know the exact timeline, but new uniforms are on the way.

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Chiefs Check-in: Recapping Chiefs’ trip to the White House

The #Chiefs met with the President of the United States of America on Monday to celebrate their Super Bowl victory. Get your Tuesday started with our weekly newsletter:

Chiefs Check-in is our online newsletter at Chiefs Wire, running Monday-Friday mornings. Subscribe to get more Chiefs news delivered to your inbox every day.

The Kansas City Chiefs made a visit to the White House in Washington D.C. on Monday to meet with Commander in Chief Joseph Robinette Biden following their Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in February. Just a day after the passing of the late great Norma Hunt, wife of Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, on Sunday, the team paid homage to their past and looked to the future during the consequential excursion to the nation’s capital.

Check out all the best news from Kansas City and across the NFL in today’s edition of Chiefs Check-in for Tuesday, June 6th:

Seahawks could sport throwback uniforms twice next season

The exact games won’t be revealed until the schedule in May, but the Seattle Seahawks could be sporting their retro uniforms twice in 2023.

Seattle Seahawks fans got some great news in November when the team announced via its Twitter account that the throwback uniforms would be making a return.

Seahawks president Chuck Arnold joined KJR radio 93.3 FM on Monday to discuss the club’s “State of the Union” and was promptly asked about the return of the iconic uniforms.

“Yes, it’s happening,” Arnold told Dave Mahler and Dick Fain. “We’re excited, I think we’re just as excited as the fans are for the throwbacks. The game won’t be decided until the schedule comes out in early May, but we’ll get a chance.

“We’re not sure yet if it’ll be one time or two times, but we’re going to have a lot of fun with it as we launch it.”

Seattle sported the retro royal jersey and silver helmet and pants from the franchise start in 1976 until 2001. Now that the NFL has officially done away with the one-helmet rule, the look can return this season.

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Broncos president comments on uniform and stadium statuses

“You have to try to balance history and tradition and three Super Bowls wearing this uniform, but also understanding that tastes evolve.”

After the Denver Broncos were acquired by a new ownership group led by Rob Walton, the club brought in Damani Leech to serve as the new team president.

The first order of business for the new ownership group was approving a five-year contract extension for quarterback Russell Wilson. After that, the next big items on deck for the team’s front office are the status of the stadium and Denver’s uniforms.

As team president, Leech will be heavily involved in the business and marketing side of the team, including uniform decisions. Leech was asked about the possibility of new uniforms during his introductory press conference last week.

“If there is a theme across our 32 [teams] — and you hear this across sports, not just football — is there is a tendency for clubs to do things the same way,” Leech said. “The organizations who have been really successful from a business standpoint have had a growth mindset and an innovation mindset. Have zigged when others have zagged. [It] doesn’t always work, but definitely take chances to try to connect with fans in new and unique ways and that’s always. That’s no more important now than it’s ever been with all the different opportunities that fans have for entertainment, not just sports entertainment.

“I definitely have that approach and that mindset to it. I think uniforms is a good example of that, where you have to try to balance history and tradition and three Super Bowls wearing this uniform, but also understanding that tastes evolve, your customer evolves, connecting with fans and representing your brand in the best way is important to do. Again, no proclamations on Day 1, but it is also one of those things I certainly will be looking at.”

It’s too late for the Broncos to make any big uniform changes for 2022 and it’s probably also unlikely for 2023, but a potential refresh (or maybe even a full redesign) could be in store for the 2024 season.

Leech was also asked about the team’s stadium and he echoed what the new ownership group has already said: it’s too early to talk about a new stadium.

“First of all, Empower Field at Mile High is a first-class facility,” Leech said. “It not only hosts amazing NFL games, but concerts and other events and it is a core part of this community. There are a number of things that I will be looking at as I take over in this organization, obviously the stadium is one of them. On Day 1, I don’t have any proclamations to make, but it is certainly something that I will be evaluating.”

So while fans shouldn’t necessarily expect any big announcements any time soon, it’s clear that the stadium and uniforms are topics that the new front office plans to discuss in the coming months.

There’s a lot of new for the Broncos this year — a new owner, a new head coach and a new quarterback. More notable changes could eventually be on the way, just not before the 2022 season.

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New Broncos president Damani Leech won’t interfere with football decisions

“I won’t be picking players or calling plays,” Broncos president Damani Leech said. “I’m focused on the fans and the community.”

After the Denver Broncos were acquired by a new ownership group led by Rob Walton, former team president/CEO Joe Ellis stepped down.

Ellis was replaced as CEO by new co-owner Greg Penner. After that, the team hired former NFL executive Damani Leech to be their new president.

Much like the team’s new ownership group, Leech will focus on the business side of the team — he won’t be handling roster decisions.

“Our currency around here is winning,” Leech said at his introductory press conference on Aug. 29. “We are a football club. We’re a football organization. So all the oars are in the water in that direction, of being a successful football club on the field. My responsibility is to work with [general manager] George [Paton], and I’ll do that. We have a great relationship already.

“To support football and business, these two things can’t be successful without each other. So we will have great communication, great candid, open communication and my focus is outside the lines. I won’t be picking players or calling plays. I’m focused on the fans and the community. Growing our fan base tremendously of Broncos Country and doing what we can to make our players successful on the field and off the field.”

The team’s new front office has empowered Paton to run the football operations while they manage the off-field operations. That sounds like a winning formula.

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Joe Ellis steps down, Greg Penner becomes new Broncos CEO

Joe Ellis stepped down from his role as Broncos president/CEO. Greg Penner will serve as the new owner/CEO and Damani Leech will become the new president.

When late former Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen stepped down from his day-to-day duties in 2014 due to his battle with Alzheimer’s disease, team president/chief executive officer Joe Ellis became the team’s de facto owner.

Ellis was part of Bowlen’s trust that was set up to manage the team until a new owner was established. Following the sale of the team to a group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton, Ellis’ time running the club has come to an end.

“As I step down as President & CEO, it has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to be part of the Denver Broncos for 27 seasons,” Ellis said in a statement. “I am forever thankful to our dedicated staff, the players and coaches for making this franchise what it has become today — one of the best organizations in all of sports.”

Ellis will serve as an advisor for the team’s new ownership group this season, but the the Broncos are filling his two former titles with new executives.

Walton is the team’s majority owner but his son-in-law, Greg Penner, will handle day-to-day ownership duties as the team’s new CEO. Penner is essentially the new Ellis, the executive tasked with running the club.

To fill Ellis former title of team president, Denver hired Damani Leech. He will be responsible for managing the team’s business operations. Broncos general manager George Paton will continue to run the football operations.

A new era in Denver begins now.

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