ALLEN PARK -- Lions president Rod Wood will remain in his role, but owner Sheila Ford Hamp left the door open for “some organizational chart moves” to occur in the future. This news comes after Detroit fired coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn on Saturday.
Wood, who is infamously known for his “not a football guy” self-description, will actually take on more duties for the time being. Ford Hamp, speaking with reporters via Zoom, said vice president of player personnel Kyle O’Brien, director of player personnel Lance Newmark, director of pro scouting Rob Lohman and vice president of football administration Mike Disner will report directly to Wood for the rest of the season.
“I have no plans to change what Rod is doing,” Ford Hamp said. “But, you know, we’re looking at some organizational chart moves. It’s all going to be part of this process.
“Our football executives, including Kyle O’Brien, Lance Newmark, Rob Lohman and Mike Disner will report directly to Rod Wood for the balance of this season as we analyze our organizational structure and evaluate candidates for our general manager position.”
Related: Inside the decision to fire Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn
Wood has served in his role since replacing Tom Lewand in 2015. He’s worked for the Ford family as a financial advisor for quite some time, and it sounds like he’ll be heavily involved in the search for a new coach and general manager once again.
It’s worth noting while Wood doesn’t come with the football background or pedigree, he’s received props for what he’s done with Ford Field and on the business side of things. It was Wood, and not Ford Hamp, to shoot down the rumor that the franchise had already hired a search firm during Saturday’s Zoom chat.
“There are some rumors out there about us already engaging a search firm,” Wood said. “That’s not happened, just to clear that.”
Wood also jumped in near the end of the availability to point out Ford Hamp spoke with the team before speaking with the media. He fielded questions about the team’s guidance on the Rooney rule, saying they plan on following “not only its spirit, but beyond that, as we search for candidates.” So, for those wondering, he’s involved and not going anywhere.
Related: Ex-Lions players don’t hold back in aftermath of Matt Patricia, Bob Quinn’s firing
He was involved in the search that hired Quinn as general manager back in 2016. He comes with experience in searching for a coach and general manager in the books and could have a more hands-on role this time around with a first-year owner calling the shots. Wood has taken care of the business side of things for Lions in recent years, including notable renovations at Ford Field. He oversaw installation of new video boards, improved sound systems, and revamped suites and premium spaces in 2017. It was the team’s biggest investment in their home stadium since it opened at the time.
“Obviously, it’s something that’s been on my mind -- I want to do the right thing by this organization, and that’s the bottom line,” Ford Hamp said. “Hoped that this season would’ve been played out differently, but it hasn’t. It just felt like now is the time to make the change and to really begin to look forward.
“There are no guarantees. All I can say is, you know, I’m going to work as hard as I can, along with Rod, and we are going to make this into an extremely thorough and comprehensive search, and we’re going to do the very best we can.”
Related: 15 names for the Detroit Lions to consider for their head coaching vacancy
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November 29, 2020 at 07:27AM
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