When Lions owner William Clay Ford Sr. died in 2014, it was widely assumed that his son, Bill Ford Jr., would take over the team. Even when it became clear that the long-standing succession plan would result in an ownership transfer to Martha Ford, many still assumed that Bill Jr. would be calling the shots.
It first became clear that month that Martha, not Bill, is running the show.
“She is,” Bill Ford Jr. said. “And since my dad died I’ve been less involved with the Lions and the NFL, but she is very much in charge and she’s got the decision making role.”
The decision to fire CEO Tom Lewand underscores the fact that Bill is out and Martha is in. Lewand, as his statement following the end of his run in Detroit makes clear, was tied to Bill Ford Jr. and his father.
“I want to thank Mrs. Ford and her family for the opportunity to serve the Lions organization and its great fans,” Lewand said, via Tim Twentyman of the team’s official website. “I am particularly grateful to Bill Ford for allowing me to be a part of the unique vision he shared with his father to bring the Lions back to Detroit.”
Lewand fell into that amorphous category of business executive with enough involvement in the football operation to slide a leg into the spotlight when things were going well and to avoid scrutiny when things were going poorly. It’s one of the reasons why Lewand was promoted after the Matt Millen disaster ended in 2008.
Moving forward, the question becomes whether Bill Ford Jr. or one of his three sisters will take over the team after Martha, 90, no longer is in position to own the team. (That’s the most delicate way to put it.) It’s possible that William Clay Ford Sr. and Martha co-owned the team, permitting ownership to be transferred after Mr. Ford’s passing without estate taxes. It may be necessary to raise a large amount of cash when ownership goes from Mrs. Ford to one or more of her children.
At some point, the Lions could end up on the market, sold to the highest bidder like the Bills were following the death of team founder Ralph Wilson.
As a result, whoever accepts the position of CEO and/or G.M. needs to have a clear understanding going through the door as to the ownership structure both now and in the future. Although executives, like coaches, are protected financially if a new regime fires them with time left on their contracts, anyone hired in the near future may want a Bill Parcells-style cash-and-carry clause that permits the employee to walk away with full pay upon any shift in control of the team or sale of the franchise.