The Lions have a new boss, and he's coming from across town. Detroit named Richard Haddad — currently the Chief Operating Officer of the Detroit Pistons — as the franchise's next Team President and CEO, ending months of speculation about who'd take over for retiring president Rod Wood.
Adam Schefter broke the news Wednesday, laying out exactly what the job entails: Haddad steps in as Team President and CEO and takes over oversight of both the football and business operations for the whole organization.
Lions named Richard Haddad, who had a 14-year tenure with Pistons Sports & Entertainment and the Detroit Pistons, where he currently serves as the organization's Chief Operating Officer, as their Team President and CEO. Haddad will join the Lions in early September and assume oversight of all football and business operations of the Lions organization.
Haddad isn't some outside hire nobody's heard of — he spent 14 years with Pistons Sports & Entertainment and the Detroit Pistons, most recently as COO. During that run he helped engineer the Pistons' move from Auburn Hills back to Detroit, oversaw construction of the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center, and worked on bringing a WNBA team back to the city. A native of Adrian, Michigan, he's got a history degree from Michigan and a law degree from Columbia before he ever got into sports business.
He's stepping into a job Rod Wood is leaving behind after announcing his retirement back in February. Wood will stick around through the transition, with Haddad officially joining the organization in early September and reporting to owner Sheila Hamp, who's praised his "steady leadership style."
It's a notable get for a Lions franchise that's been building serious momentum on the field, now pairing that with a front-office swap pulled from one of the most respected business ops in Detroit sports. Haddad will be setting the direction for both the Lions and Ford Field going forward — a pretty big remit for a guy who spent the last 14 years across the street with the Pistons.