Lions Reportedly Have Hired Search Firm For New Front Office Staff
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
According to the Detroit News, the Lions have hired a search firm to assist with their upcoming personnel decisions, after the firings of team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew.
Former Cowboys vice president of player personnel Gil Brandt told the News that the Lions had hired Heidrick & Struggles. After Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford announced the firings, she said, "as of today we are beginning a national search for the best leadership to manage our team going forward. I want to assure our fans that we intend to identify and hire the very best leadership in order to produce a consistently winning football team."
According to Heidrick & Struggles' website, the firm builds "deep relationships with the world's most talented individuals to ultimately build winning executive leadership teams for premier organizations around the globe."
By industry, Heidrick & Struggles lists its specialties as consumer markets; education, nonprofit and social enterprise; energy; financial services; healthcare and life services; industrial; financial services; and technology.
A partner of Heidrick & Struggles, Billy Dexter, is on the board of directors for the NFL Players Association.
According to a 1989 Los Angeles Times article, the NFL employed Heidrick & Struggles for $200,000 that year to find a new commissioner for the league when Pete Rozelle retired. Paul Taglibue was hired soon after.
"Even though they've had terrible results over the years, they're a franchise that everybody is interested in," Brandt told the News, speaking also on Matthew Stafford's talent as a reason for the interest in the Lions.
In the interim, Ford announced that Sheldon White would take over as general manager, and Allison Maki as COO.
