The NFL will be looking for a new chief spokesperson in the near future.
PFT has obtained a memo that NFL executive vice president of communications and public affairs Joe Lockhart sent to colleagues informing them of his decision to leave his post. Lockhart wrote that the intensity of the job was “a challenge” given his desire to spend time with his family.
Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports the NFL informed teams of Lockhart’s decision on Thursday.
Lockhart, who was a White House press secretary under President Bill Clinton, took the job with the league in 2016 and has frequently served as the public voice of the league on a variety of matters. During the 2017 season, those matters included player prostests, President Trump’s reaction to those protests, the investigation into workplace misconduct allegations against Panthers owner Jerry Richardson and issues with adherence to the concussion protocol.
In his memo, Lockhart wrote that his “mission was to shake things up a bit” and feels the league has become “more aggressive” in getting its message out and “more agile in promoting and protecting” the game.