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The longtime departure of Texas President Jamey Rootes became official Wednesday morning when he informed his staff that he had resigned, ending his more than 20-year association with the organization.
Rootes’ resignation takes effect immediately.
Hired by the late owner, Bob McNair, Rootes helped make Texans one of the NFL’s most financially profitable franchises.
As team president, Rootes oversaw the commercial and administrative side of the organization which has become one of the most successful in professional sports, selling every game at NRG Stadium from 2002 to 2019 before COVID-19 imposed limited ticket sales last season.
“I think the organization is in a great business position,” Rootes said Wednesday morning. “We have a great management team. I thought the time had come for me to do something different.
“I am young enough to find a new opportunity to create something new.”
Rootes, 54, was the president and general manager of Major League Soccer’s Columbus crew when team owner Lamar Hunt recommended him to McNair.
More than a year before the Texans played their first season in 2002, McNair hired Rootes as the team’s senior vice president of marketing to help generate interest from the expansion team within from the Houston business community.
In 2005, McNair promoted Rootes to president, a position he held until he handed in his resignation to Cal McNair, who has led the team since his father lost his battle with cancer in November. 2018.
“I love Cal like a brother,” Rootes said. “This idea (quitting) is not new to me. When Bob’s health started to decline, I thought it was important for the organization to have stability during this window. When Bob passed away, I felt like I owed Cal to be here.
Last season, Rootes created controversy by sacking popular vice president of communications Amy Palcic during the season, sparking a backlash locally and nationally.
Over the years, Rootes has served on the team’s search committees that recommended new coaches and general managers to Bob and Cal McNair.
Since Rootes was promoted to team president, the Texans have won numerous awards on the business side of the organization. In 2020, Rootes wrote a book titled “The Winning Game Plan: A Proven Leadership Play Book for Continuous Success”.
Rootes said he plans to leave for at least six months to spend more time with his family. He will continue to promote his book, teach at the University of Houston, and speak in public.
“I want to take enough time to decide what’s best for me,” he said. “This (resignation) is difficult because of the people. They are special to me. I feed off the energy of our fans, staff and customers, and I will miss them.
Rootes’ longtime right-hand man, senior vice president of corporate development Greg Grissom, will oversee business operations until a new president is hired. Grissom has been with the Texans since 2002.
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