Detroit Lions president and CEO Rod Wood has made a clear decision regarding his future with the organization.
It was announced on Wednesday afternoon that Wood has made the decision to retire from the Lions, after spending more than a decade in his role.
After spending decades working in the finance sector, Wood joined the organization back in 2015. He previously served as the head of Ford Estates and the Ford family office.
“I want to thank the Ford Family and ultimately Lions fans everywhere for trusting me to lead the Detroit Lions for the last 11 seasons,” said Wood in a statement, via the team’s website. “It has been an absolute thrill for me to lead this organization, and I am proud of what we have accomplished over that decade-plus. I am most proud of where I am leaving this organization, in the capable hands of Sheila Hamp, Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell.”
In past two decades, Wood has worked with the City of Detroit and business leaders to bring premier events to the area.
“The entire Ford family would like to thank Rod for his dedication and commitment to the Detroit Lions and the city of Detroit,” said Sheila Hamp, Detroit Lions Principal Owner and Chair. “Rod has been a trusted advisor and passionate leader for our organization and the entire NFL during that time and has prepared our organization for a promising future. While Rod will be missed, we are excited to work with Russell Reynolds Associates to find the next dynamic leader of our business.”
He became unpopular at times, especially when the team made the decision to significantly raise ticket prices, and then defended the decision publicly.
“I think if people went back and looked at what they could have paid for, for those seats on the secondary market, and what our playoff games were going for, it’s really where the market is and we’ve had 96 percent renewal rate,” said Wood. “So, nobody’s really abandoned their tickets. We still have, I think it’s approaching 20,000 people on a wait list.
“And, we’ve been very cautious over the years, recently, in not increasing the prices and have really fallen quite a bit behind the league average. And, this barely catches us up to just below league average.”
Wood is planning to spend more time with his family, including his grandchildren, after a distinguished career with the organization.
The search will immediately begin for his successor. Wood will remain with the Lions while an extensive search takes place.
This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions/onsi