Texans president resigns amid front office overhaul, quarterback rumors
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes has led the franchise for 20 years, being described by the club as one of the city's leading executives, and on Wednesday, he resigned.
The organization said Rootes is leaving to "pursue his interests as a writer, public speaker, consultant and professor at the University of Houston."
The Texans' search for a new president will begin immediately. It's a search the franchise said will include a diverse slate of candidates, including those internally on the business side.
"We sincerely appreciate Jamey's multiple contributions to the Texans franchise over his tenure and look forward to seeing him succeed in his new ventures," said Texans Chair and CEO Cal McNair. "We will now build upon this foundation and move forward with a bold and unwavering commitment to winning championships, creating memorable experiences for our fans, and doing great things for Houston."
But the vacancy is now the latest in a string of shake-ups for the club, which is still embroiled in an ongoing saga with their star quarterback Deshaun Watson.
In recent weeks, Watson has asked for a trade. But a day after the news came out that Watson had officially asked to leave, the team introduced a new head coach, David Culley. Sources have told ESPN Culley's hire won't alter Watson's thinking.
In January, the Texans added former New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio to their front office, hiring him on as general manager.
Watson's request came after he was reportedly unhappy with the process used by the team to hire Caserio in early January.
The Texans' organizational overhaul started when McNair fired head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien in October.
These moves came after Watson had said at the end of the season that the Texans have "no real foundation" and need a "whole culture shift."
READ: Texans have 'zero interest' to trade Deshaun Watson, GM says
But Rootes' resignation comes just three days after it was revealed by one of their own star players, JJ Watt, that the entire equipment staff is gone, too.
"Mike Parson and his entire equipment staff are incredible people who went above and beyond to help every player in the locker room every single day. A great man and a great staff who shouldn't be out of work for long. Anybody would be lucky to have them," Watt wrote.
ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter pointed out that on top of Parson and his staff being let go, the Texans dismissed director of football administration Kevin Kracjcovic.
"The organization is being remade and many around the league, including people there, are wondering if it is for the better," Schefter said in a tweet.
The Texans also fired vice president of football operations Doug West last week.
As for Rootes, his tenure began in 2000. In his role as president, he was responsible for overseeing efforts to secure stadium-naming rights and sponsorship, coordinating radio and TV broadcasting relationships, ticket and suites sales campaigns, and more.
"The past two decades have been an amazing blessing for me and my family and I have the McNairs to thank for that," Rootes said in a release Wednesday. "It has been an honor to serve them in this capacity for as long as I have. I want to thank my teammates as we could not have had so many successes without their hard work and dedication to the team. I also want to thank the best fans in the National Football League, whom I call 'Texans Nation.' Your passionate support created a tremendous homefield advantage, established the best tailgating experience in the NFL and sold out every home game. I will always be a proud Texan and I look forward to continuing to support our team."
Rootes also oversaw the Houston Texans Foundation, which the franchise said has donated more than $55 million since its inception in 2002.
ESPN contributed to this report.
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