Jason Wright Steps Down as President of Washington Commanders, Remains Senior Advisor

The first Black president of the Washington Commanders is no longer the president.

Jason Wright, the first Black president of the Washington Commanders as of 2020, is leaving the organization. According to the Associated Press, Wright will continue to serve as the senior advisor while the team searches for a replacement.

“This feels like the right moment for me to explore my next leadership opportunity,” Wright said, per the Associated Press. “We have taken this franchise through a period of immense challenge and uncertainty and have transformed it. We’ve set the table for an incredibly bright future under Josh’s leadership.”

Still, as Wright continues to work as a senior advisor, he will assist in some critical decisions like finding a new stadium site. The Commanders’ lease for FedEx Field will expire in 2027. Back in 2020 when he was hired, Wright played an imperative role in a “rebranding effort, which included changing the team’s name from the Redskins to the Commanders.” People deliberated for years that the Redskins name was offensive to Native Americans.

“We re-established a culture of respect in this organization,” Wright said.

In 2023, the Commanders announced another consequential change when owner Dan Snyder finally, sold the squad to an ownership group led by investor and philanthropist Josh Harris, who is also the Philadelphia 76ers owner.

“He stepped in at a time of immense challenge and has led this organization through an incredible transformation that set that stage for everything that is to come,” Harris said about Wright in an interview with the Associated Press. “I am extremely grateful to Jason for his partnership to me and the rest of the ownership group over the past year. His guidance has been invaluable and his leadership has helped reshape our culture.”

Wright proved his leadership skills amid a time when the organization was up against serious controversy. Right before Wright was the president, The Washington Post published a report about 15 women who allegedly were sexually harassed while working for the franchise.

So, the team has since taken the initiative to change the organization’s culture.