Photo: Al Messerschmidt/Getty
Washington Football TeampresidentJason Wrightissued an apology 12 hours after announcingSean Taylor’s jersey retirement, which will take place this Sunday.
On Thursday evening, Wrightpenned a lengthy letterin which he apologized for the timing of the news after many fans and former players spoke out against the three-day notice. The backlash comes amid a scandal-heavy two weeks for the organization, including news of incendiary emails between former team president Bruce Allen and former Las Vegas Raiders coachJon Grudenas part of WFT’s workplace misconduct investigation.
Others criticized the last-minute timing of Taylor’s prestigious ceremony while several called out the organization for its"PR stunt"in honoring the fan-favorite player, who died over a decade ago.
“Almost every mistake starts off with the best of intentions…” Wright began his statement about the retirement ceremony scheduled to take place on Sunday when the team plays against the Kansas City Chiefs. “What we wanted to do was make good on something we know was long overdue.”
Noting that he believed “alumni weekend was the right moment” to retire Taylor’s No. 21 jersey, Wright said the organization planned on including many of those close to the late football star — including his daughter Jackie Taylor, his fiancé Jackie Garcia and various other family members — but “screwed up the execution” when thinking about fans who would also want to attend the event.
“We planned to do this right…” he wrote. “But we screwed up the execution and, as a result, we realize that we hurt many of our fans deeply. And for that I and we as an organization are sorry.”
According to Wright’s statement, he believed sharing the news “for a game week reveal was the best way to focus the message on Sean and his legacy,” though he didn’t take into account that it wouldn’t allow some fans enough of a heads-up to properly attend the event in-person.
“We didn’t realize that so many of you wanted to make a trip to FedExField to be present for this moment — a true lack of understanding of what you, the lifeblood of this franchise, needed to mourn our collective loss and celebrate Sean’s legacy,” Wright said.
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“As the guy who really wanted us to start honoring players better and differently – in line with what they paid in the blood, sweat, and tears — I’m angry and sad that we messed up your opportunity to honor Sean in person this weekend,” he continued. “I feel a pit in my stomach knowing how we have let so many of you down.”
“My hope is that you can meaningfully celebrate Sean as his jersey is retired this weekend and every time you travel down Sean Taylor Road — this weekend and in the future,” he added. “I hope those who make it to the game and watch on television will be able to joyously remember him with pride and bear witness to our planned tributes at pregame and halftime.”
Wright concluded, “I again offer my sincere apology to the fans for the unacceptably short notice of this momentous event.”
Taylor’s family will be in attendance during a pre-game ceremony, in which they will also commemorate the renaming of the road leading to the field as Sean Taylor Road. The family will also have a chance to visit Taylor’s locker on the Club Level, which has been preserved since his last game.
source: people.com
