The Washington Football Team, a franchise that has been marred by racial controversy over the years, has signed the first Black team president in NFL history.

According to The New York Times, the team made the historic move on Monday with the hiring of Jason Wright, a former NFL running back who was working as a business consultant. The 38-year-old is now the youngest team president in the NFL.

Wright's only experience in the NFL, outside of playing, came in 2011 when he served as his team's union representative for two years before the lockout. As president, the NFL veteran will be responsible for operations, finance, marketing and other transactions, NFL insider Adam Schefter reported.

Washington Football Team appointed Jason Wright as team president in a historic hire. Wright will be responsible for leading the organization’s business divisions, including operations, finance, sales, and marketing. Wright now becomes the first black president of an NFL team. pic.twitter.com/Qoti1iBKAk

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 17, 2020

“This organization is going through wholesale transformation on multiple fronts,” Wright told The Times. “This is going to be a very challenging, but exciting time.”

The transformation includes the team's name. Previously known as the "Redskins," a derogatory term used against Native Americans, the franchise faced backlash over the name for years. In recent months, as protesters around the country inspired increased focus on social justice, the team's controversial name came back to the forefront.

According to CBS Sports, team owner Dan Snyder had insisted for years that he would never change the name. But the owner finally erased the offensive moniker last month after FedEx, which is the team's stadium sponsor, threatened to end its partnership. The franchise is known as the Washington Football Team for now, and a formal name is expected to be announced eventually.

As a consultant who has been helping companies transform their cultures, Wright sees his experience as vital in Washington.

“There’s no time to waste on the culture side of it,” he said.

The trailblazer attended high school in Diamond Bar, California. He then studied psychology at Northwestern University, where he played wide receiver and running back. Wright accounted for the seventh-most rushing yards in Northwestern history, totaling 2,625 yards.

The college football star later earned an MBA from the University of Chicago and signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. After being cut from the team before the start of the regular season, Wright briefly played for the Atlanta Falcons. He then played for the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals before retiring in 2011.

Wright is now adding diversity among league executives. According to The Times, less than 20% of senior administration positions in the league belong to people of color. The NFL currently has two team owners who are people of color, and there are two team presidents who are women.

The Washington Football Team continued to face backlash last month when The Washington Post published the stories of 15 women who said they were sexually harassed while working for the franchise.

The team has made several changes to its office personnel since the allegations surfaced. Continuing its effort to transform the culture, the franchise recently erased references to George Preston Marshall, who is remembered for naming the team in the 1930s and being the last owner in the league to integrate his roster. The team also hired Ron Rivera in December, making him one of four head coaches of color in the NFL.

“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,” Wright said in a statement, according to WAVY.

Dan Snyder

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