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The Jets announced this afternoon that team Neil Glat is stepping down as team president.
Glat was with the team for seven years.
In the announcement, they said he will transition to “Senior Adviser.” That is likely short term.
I had heard a couple of years ago that Glat was looking to leave, so I was a little surprised it took this long.
This move is good for both sides.
Glat will have no problem landing a high-paying, significan job in the sports business world. With his resume (former NFL VP and Jets President) and education (Wharton Business and Harvard Law School degrees), he will have no problem landing on his feet. And if I’m not mistaken, he never moved to the New Jersey, maintaining his residence in New York City. So the commute might have been a small part of this. He should have little problem landing a major job in Manhattan, making his commute a lot easier. I’m not saying this was the main reason, but it was probably part of it.
As for the Jets, with a new coach and GM, it might be a good time for a new president. Remember how the Jets’ corporate structure works – the GM, coach and president all report to the owner – not to each other.
So if you are attempting to change the culture, which the Jets are trying to do, it’s probably best to make a clean sweep of the three top guys under the owner.
Perhaps it wasn’t his fault, but Glat was around for a lot of rough seasons and might be considered part of the old guard. It you are attempting to change a culture, it’s not ideal to have powerful guys from the old regime in powerful positions.
When Jimmy Johnson was hired by Jerry Jones, he fired the entire staff. I mean everybody including secretaries. He felt that had to be done from a cultural standpoint. I’m not recommending that, just making a point about culture changes.
If you think the business side of an NFL organization doesn’t impact the football culture, you are mistaken.
Everything matters. Just ask great culture builders like Nick Saban and Bill Belichick. They are on top of everything.
So this is probably a good time for new president.
Glat is an extremely bright man. I always joked with him that he has the most impressive combination of degrees you can get in the United States – Penn’s Wharton Business School and Harvard Law School. That is as good as it gets.
But I’m not 100 percent sure he was always comfortable being in the spotlight, which team president often requires. He’s a reserved, family man who might be better served in a powerful position that is less in the public eye.
The Jets need to knock this hire out of the park. Being an NFL team president is a big-time job that will be in demand. The NFL is the top league in sports, and there are only 32 team presidents. It’s a very prestigious job.
Christopher needs to hit a grand slam here, and most certainly hir an alpha dog leader.
And whatever he does, he should not listen to consultants or outside people with agendas (trying to get their friends or clients jobs).
August 30, 2019
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