Jason Wright

Last updated

Jason Wright
Jason Wright Washington Commanders Reveal (51857915672) (cropped).jpg
Wright in 2022
Washington Commanders
Position:President
Personal information
Born: (1982-07-12) July 12, 1982 (age 41)
Upland, California, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school: Diamond Bar (Diamond Bar, California)
College: Northwestern (2000–2003)
Undrafted: 2004
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As an executive:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:80
Carries:168
Rushing yards:633
Rushing touchdowns:2
Receptions:72
Receiving yards:581
Receiving touchdowns:3
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Jason Gomillion Wright (born July 12, 1982) is an American businessman who is the team president of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Born in the Greater Los Angeles area, he attended Northwestern University in the early 2000s and played running back for the Wildcats while earning a degree in psychology. Wright went undrafted following graduation and was briefly a member of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers in 2004 before serving as a reserve running back and special teamer for the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, and Arizona Cardinals. He served as a team captain and NFLPA representative with the latter during the 2011 NFL lockout before retiring that same year.

Contents

Following his playing career, Wright enrolled and graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree in operations and finance in 2013 from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. After graduation, he moved to Washington, D.C., and began working for the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, advising companies on workplace culture and diversity. In 2020, Wright was hired as president of the Washington Commanders, making him the first black NFL team president. He is also a business partner with the Union Theological Seminary, Greater Washington Partnership, and The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.

Early life and college

Wright was born on July 12, 1982, in Upland, California, and grew up in Pomona. [1] [2] [3] He attended Diamond Bar High School in Diamond Bar, California, where he lettered in football and track before earning a football scholarship at Northwestern University. [4] He enrolled there in 2000 and played for the Northwestern Wildcats football team originally as a wide receiver before switching to running back. [5] In August 2001, a teammate at Northwestern, Rashidi Wheeler, died from an asthma attack during practice. [6] Wright later cited the event as a "transformative experience" that strengthened his faith in Christianity. [3]

Wright was named co-MVP of the 2003 Motor City Bowl after rushing for 237 yards on 21 carries, and was also named to the 2003 All-Big Ten Conference football team. [7] [8] He finished his Northwestern career with 32 touchdowns on 487 carries and 577 yards and two touchdowns on 54 receptions. He also returned 31 kickoffs for 828 yards and a touchdown. He left as Northwestern's fourth all-time leading rusher with 2,625 yards, the third all-purpose yards leader with 4,030 yards, and the fourth leading scorer with 210 points.

Wright graduated with Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the school's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. [9] [10] He was also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and was president of the school's Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter, being named the inaugural recipient of the Bobby Bowden Award by the latter in 2003. [11] [12] [13]

NFL playing career

Wright attended the NFL Combine but went unselected in the 2004 NFL Draft. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers after the draft but was released as a part of the team's final roster cuts prior to the regular season. Wright then signed with the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons, being released and re-signed several times during his tenure there. [14] [3] He was elevated to the active roster in December 2004 and appeared in two games before signed with the Cleveland Browns during the 2005 offseason, scoring his first NFL touchdown in a game against the Tennessee Titans that year. [14] [15]

Wright played for the Browns for three seasons as a backup and third-down back behind Reuben Droughns and Jamal Lewis until signing a two-year, US$2 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009. [16] He served as a team captain with Arizona and was their NFLPA representative during the 2011 NFL lockout before retiring later that year. [17] [18] Wright finished his NFL career with 168 rushes for 633 yards and 2 touchdowns along with 72 receptions for 581 yards and 3 touchdowns. [19]

Business career

Following his playing career, Wright enrolled at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in operations and finance in 2013. [20] [21] Later that year he became a consultant for the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company where he advised companies on organizational culture , workplace diversity, and failure at organizational branding and historical honorifics. [22]

Wright has served on the board of trustees for the Union Theological Seminary in New York since 2017, and as co-chair with Sheila Johnson on the Greater Washington Partnership's Inclusive Growth Strategy Council since 2021. [23] [24] He is also a member of The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., and spoke at a event in February 2022. [25] [26]

Washington Football Team / Commanders

Wright giving a speech in 2021 Jason Wright 2021 (cropped2).jpg
Wright giving a speech in 2021

In August 2020, Wright was hired by the Washington Football Team as their team president to lead their business operations, financing, and marketing. [22] The move made him the first black president of an NFL team in history, as well as the youngest active one at the time of his hiring. [27] [21] Additionally, he is only the fourth former player to be president of an NFL team. [22] Wright helped lead the franchise during their rebranding process to become the Commanders in 2022. [28] [29]

For his work with the team, Wright was the recipient of the "Best Hire of 2020" award by the Sports Business Journal and was named to Black Enterprise 's "Top 40 under 40" list in 2021. [30] [31]

Personal life

Wright's family has a history with civil rights. [32] His great-great uncle, Charles Gomillion, was a Tuskegee University professor and the plaintiff in Gomillion v. Lightfoot , a landmark 1960 US Supreme Court case regarding voting rights that became instrumental in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. [10] [33] Wright was given the middle name Gomillion in honor of him. [32] His paternal grandfather, Harvey Wright, was also an educator and activist who started several NAACP chapters in Texas. [32] Wright's sister Allison is a public defender in Massachusetts. [32]

Wright is divorced from Tiffany Braxton whom he married in 2007; the two met as students at Northwestern. [10] He is close friends with Michael Blake, a fellow Northwestern graduate who later served as the Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2017 to 2021. Blake served as an advisor during Wright's transition as Commanders' team president in the early 2020s. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona Cardinals</span> National Football League franchise

The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play their home games at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, a suburb northwest of Phoenix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Warner</span> American football player (born 1971)

Kurtis Eugene Warner is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. An undrafted free agent, Warner ascended from the Arena Football League and NFL Europe to become a two-time Most Valuable Player and a Super Bowl MVP. Warner appeared in three Super Bowls as a starting quarterback and is one of very few quarterbacks to lead multiple franchises to a Super Bowl. His career is widely regarded as one of the greatest Cinderella stories in NFL history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anquan Boldin</span> American football player (born 1980)

Anquan Kenmile Boldin Sr. is an American former football wide receiver who played for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He also played for the Baltimore Ravens, the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Fitzgerald</span> American football player (born 1983)

Larry Darnell Fitzgerald Jr. is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2003. Fitzgerald was selected by the Cardinals with the third overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. He is widely considered by fans, coaches and peers to be one of the greatest receivers in NFL history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Williams (quarterback)</span> American football player, coach, and executive (born 1955)

Douglas Lee Williams is an American football executive and former quarterback and coach. Williams is best known for his performance with the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXII against the Denver Broncos, making him the first black quarterback to both start and win a Super Bowl. He was named Super Bowl MVP after breaking two Super Bowl passing records: 340 yards total, and being the first to throw four touchdowns in a single quarter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kliff Kingsbury</span> American football player and coach (born 1979)

Kliff Timothy Kingsbury is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas Tech, finishing in the top three in several school passing records before being selected in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. He later played for other teams before entering coaching in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Stanton</span> American football player (born 1984)

Drew Emeric Stanton is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft, after playing college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Stanton was a journeyman quarterback who was a member of the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and for a short stint the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coming out of retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Kolb</span> American football player (born 1984)

Kevin Benjamin Kolb is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Hightower</span> American football player and executive (born 1986)

Timothy Michael Hightower is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of Richmond and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He also played for the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, Florida Blacktips and San Francisco 49ers. He was named director of alumni relations for the Washington Commanders in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logan Thomas</span> American football player (born 1991)

Logan Lamont Thomas Sr. is an American football tight end for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He was the starting quarterback while playing college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies in the early 2010s, where he finished as the school's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns before being selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. Thomas spent time as a reserve quarterback for the Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and New York Giants before switching to tight end, a position he last played in high school, with the Detroit Lions in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeAndre Hopkins</span> American football player (born 1992)

DeAndre Rashaun Hopkins, nicknamed "DHop" and "Nuk", is an American football wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was selected by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Hopkins is a five-time Pro Bowler and has also been named to five All-Pro teams. He also played for the Arizona Cardinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Hogan</span> American football player (born 1992)

Kevin Michael Hogan is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was their starting quarterback from 2012 to 2015. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft, and has also been a member of the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooper Kupp</span> American football player (born 1993)

Cooper Douglas Kupp is an American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Washington, where he won the Walter Payton Award as a junior, and was selected by the Rams in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Kupp had a breakout season in 2021 when he became the fourth player since the AFL-NFL Merger to lead the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Kupp received the Offensive Player of the Year Award and was the MVP of Super Bowl LVI; Jerry Rice is the only other wide receiver to accomplish those feats in a career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashad Ross</span> American gridiron football player (born 1990)

Rashad Ahmad Ross is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Arizona State University, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans following the 2013 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacoby Brissett</span> American football player (born 1992)

Jacoby JaJuan Brissett is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint at Florida, he played college football at NC State and was selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Brissett was traded to the Indianapolis Colts after his rookie season, where he was their primary starter in 2017 and 2019. He spent his next two seasons alternating as the starter and backup with the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns before joining the Commanders in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyler Murray</span> American football player (born 1997)

Kyler Cole Murray is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint with Texas A&M University, Murray played college football at the University of Oklahoma, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a junior. Murray was selected first overall by the Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was also selected ninth overall by the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the 2018 draft, making him the first player to be drafted in the first round of both sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Johnson (running back)</span> American football player (born 1991)

David Jerome Johnson Sr. is an American football running back who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northern Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Kirk</span> American football player (born 1996)

Christian Davon Kirk is an American football wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtis Samuel</span> American football player (born 1996)

Curtis Samuel is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, winning the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship and earning All-American honors in 2016. Samuel was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft and played four seasons with them before joining Washington in 2021.

Byron Murphy Jr. is an American football cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington.

References

  1. ↑ "18 Jason Wright". nusports.cstv.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  2. ↑ Phillips, Michael (August 21, 2020). "Jason Wright's journey to being an NFL team president is inspiring. Can he succeed where others have failed in Washington?". Richmond.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Prince, Sara; Wright, Jason (January 28, 2022). "Always connect, never give up: An interview with Jason Wright". mckinsey.com. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Jason Wright – Football bio". nusports.cstv.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  5. ↑ Belson, Ken (August 17, 2020). "Washington Hires Former Player as N.F.L.'s First Black Team President". New York Times. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  6. ↑ "FOOTBALL; Northwestern Player Dies At Practice". The New York Times . Associated Press. August 5, 2001. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Wildcats Edged By Bowling Green In Motor City Bowl, 28-24". nusports.com. December 26, 2003. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Harris throws 3 second-half TDs". ESPN. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  9. ↑ Schmitt, Jeff (August 18, 2020). "Chicago Booth MBA Makes History In NFL Hire". Peots & Quants. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Wright, Jason. "Jason Wright tackles complex challenges in the National Football League". alumni.northwestern.edu. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  11. ↑ Ackerman, Jon (August 18, 2020). "Washington's Jason Wright follows Christ as he becomes NFL's first Black team president". SportsSpectrum.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Alpha Phi Alpha's Jason Wright Just Became the First Black President of an NFL Team". WatchTheYard.com. August 17, 2020. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Rudolph Wins Fellowship of Christian Athletes' Bobby Bowden Award". okstate.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  14. 1 2 Belson, Ken (August 17, 2020). "Washington Hires Former Player as N.F.L.'s First Black Team President". New York Times. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  15. ↑ Sherman, Rodger (July 19, 2011). "Former Northwestern Running Back Jason Wright Retires from NFL's Arizona Cardinals". InsideNU.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Cardinals agree to terms with running back Wright". SI.com. March 16, 2009. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ La Canfora, Jason (August 19, 2020). "Washington hires Jason Wright: 'Truly special,' 'an extraordinary person' and more from those in the know". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  18. ↑ Somers, Kent. "Former Arizona Cardinals running back Jason Wright retires". azcentral.com. Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Jason Wright Stats". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  20. ↑ Sotiropoulos, Alexander. "From field to Booth, former Arizona Cardinal takes on next challenge". The Chicago Maroon. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  21. 1 2 "Washington Football Team Appoints Jason Wright as President". WashingtonFootball.com. August 17, 2020. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  22. 1 2 3 Keim, John (August 17, 2020). "Washington hires Jason Wright as NFL's first Black president". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  23. ↑ Ackerman, Jon (August 18, 2020). "Washington's Jason Wright follows Christ as he becomes NFL's first Black team president". SportsSpectrum.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  24. ↑ Sidersky, Robyn (June 13, 2022). "Greater Washington Partnership unveils 10-year inclusivity plan". Virginia Business. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  25. ↑ Wright, Jason. "Team President". Commanders.com. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Jason Wright". .economicclub.org. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  27. ↑ Carpenter, Les. "Washington hires Jason Wright, making him the first Black president of an NFL team". Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  28. ↑ Wright, Jason (January 4, 2022). "Presidents Brief: Why Wolves won't work (and a date to save)". Washington Commanders. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  29. ↑ Jhabvala, Nicki (January 4, 2022). "Washington Football Team to reveal name, identity on Feb. 2". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  30. ↑ Homler, Ryan. "Washington team president Jason Wright named 'Best Hire of 2020'". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  31. ↑ Black Enterprise [@blackenterprise] (May 17, 2021). "@whoisjwright was appointed president of the Washington Football Team in 2020. The selection made him the first Black person to land that role for an NFL team" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. 1 2 3 4 DePrisco, Mike. "Black History Month: For Jason Wright, activism runs deep". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  33. ↑ Carpenter, Les. "Jason Wright has helped save big corporations. Next up: The Washington Football Team". Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.