Lions hire Pistons' COO Richard Haddad as team president
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The Detroit Lions are going outside the organization – but not outside Detroit professional sports – for their new team president.
The Lions hired Richard Haddad as president and CEO, they announced Wednesday, Aug. 5.
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Haddad, a Michigan native, spent the past 14 years with Pistons Sports and Entertainment and the Detroit Pistons, where he currently serves as chief operating officer.
His hire completes a monthslong process to find a successor for Rod Wood, who announced his retirement in February after 11 seasons with the team.
Wood, owner Sheila Hamp, vice chairman Bill Ford Jr., senior football advisor Chris Spielman and chief people and inclusion officer Lindsay Verstegen were on the hiring committee, which was run by the search firm Russell Reynolds.
Haddad will start in early September.
"I am thrilled to join the Detroit Lions organization as its next President and CEO," Haddad said in a statement released by the team. "I want to thank Sheila Hamp and the Ford family for their trust in me, along with Tom Gores and Arn Tellem for 14 great years with the Pistons.
"As a lifelong Lions fan, I understand firsthand how much this team means to this city and state, and I'm honored and humbled to lead this franchise. Sheila, Rod, Brad [Holmes] and Dan [Campbell] have built an incredible foundation, and I can't wait to work with them to build on that and deliver for our fans and our community."
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Wood joined the Lions in November 2015 after eight years as CEO and president of Ford Estates, the private company that helps Ford family members with investments and other personal logistics.
He oversaw a $100 million renovation to Ford Field in 2017 and helped usher in one of the most successful eras in franchise history with the hire of Holmes as general manager and Campbell as coach in 2021.
Wood told the Free Press in March in he was retiring to spend more time with his family, but would stay with the Lions to help the new president's transition.
"No one at the end of their life says, I wish I spent more time at work," Wood said this spring. "It’s kind of, when do you find the right time for you and balance it. There’s a song by Styx that I’ve referenced a lot in the last couple months that has a line: 'I have nothing to do and all day to do it.' And I’m kind of looking forward to [that].”
Haddad oversaw business operations and development for the Pistons as COO and helped lead the organization's efforts to bring a WNBA team to Detroit and build a new practice facility on the Detroit riverfront.
Hamp is part of a group of investors in the WNBA team.
"Rich is a proven leader who understands what it means to steward an iconic sports franchise in the city of Detroit, and we are thrilled that he is bringing that experience to the Lions,” Hamp said in a statement. “Throughout our process, Rich’s experience, steady leadership style, and grasp on the present and future state of team sports were clear differentiators. My family and I are excited to work with Rich on driving the Lions forward in our continued pursuit to bring a championship to Detroit.”
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions hire Pistons' COO Richard Haddad as team president