After almost 100 years to the day, the NFL finally has its first black team president. The Washington Football Team, previously known as the Washington Redskins, have tapped Jason Wright to head up its operations, hoping to usher in a new era of success for the team, as well as for NFL. It “only” took major civil unrest and an embarrassing sexual misconduct story to pave the way for change. 

The 38-year-old Wright is a former NFL running back who played for several teams during his six years in the league. When he left the NFL, he returned to school, graduating with a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. From there, he would become a partner of McKinsey & Company, a business management consulting firm, before being asked to join the Washington team as its president. 

Wright said in a statement about his appointment, “This team, at this time, is an ideal opportunity for me. 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.”

The team’s new president replaces Bruce Allen, who led the organization for around ten years before being fired last December. Wright will handle the business side of the house, while Ron Rivera, hired as the team’s head coach last December, will handle the football operations. Rivera has been a supporter of diversity in the workplace, and hired Jennifer King as the NFL’s first female full-time coaching intern earlier this year.