New Lions president Rod Wood met the media on Friday and faced questions about his qualifications for the job after serving as the president and CEO of Ford Estates.
That job had Wood dealing with the finances of the Ford family rather than football matters, which has led to some criticism that the Lions failed to break a cycle that has seen them prize close connections above all else after team owner Martha Ford said the team would hold a national search to find a replacement for the deposed Tom Lewand. One of Wood’s answers at Friday’s press conference won’t do much to quiet those critics.
“I would probably say that I’m not qualified to run any other NFL team but I think I’m qualified to run this one,” Wood said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Wood, who added that selling the team is not an option in the near future, went on to say that his understanding of the Ford family gave him an understanding of their goals for the football team, although that was also true of Lewand after he spent more than two decades working for the Lions before his dismissal.
Wood did say that the team would bring in an advisor to help run a search for a new General Manager and that the new hire would then make the decision about keeping coach Jim Caldwell or hiring someone new. Interim General Manager Sheldon White is expected to be one of the candidates considered for that job.
