John Jones , is taking a leave.

[Kiwon]

Profootballtalk.com's take:

Our guess is that Jones quietly will fade into the background, and that the team will hire a new president after the 2007 season.

Matt Millen? (No stones, please....only pebbles)

[packinpatland]

Profootballtalk.com's take:

Our guess is that Jones quietly will fade into the background, and that the team will hire a new president after the 2007 season.

Matt Millen? (No stones, please....only pebbles)

You deserve an avalanche!!!

[packinpatland]

Why the intrigue for heaven's sake?

Jones seems unlikely to stay with Packers

By Rob Demovsky
rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com

The makeup of the Green Bay Packers’ front office changed abruptly on Saturday, four days before John Jones was to replace Bob Harlan as the team’s chairman and chief executive officer.


The team announced Jones is taking a leave of absence for personal reasons, then cited “management concerns” involving Jones, who was selected more than a year ago to replace the retiring Harlan.

Though no team officials would say exactly what those concerns were, it appears unlikely that Jones ever will run the Packers.

Harlan has agreed to remain in charge until the team’s executive committee decides what course to take.

Three weeks ago, Harlan went to the committee with concerns about Jones.

Executive committee member Peter Platten said “management issues” came to light several months ago.

“I felt I owed it to the organization,” Harlan said. “I report to the executive committee, and it was my obligation to keep the executive committee informed about anything that I thought was going on in the organization, which I do all the time, and this was an issue I thought we needed to look at.”

Asked whether it was one specific incident involving Jones, Harlan said: “I think ‘management issues’ describes it well. It’s not (a) management issue. It got to the point where I felt I needed to go to the executive committee. It was done at this time because I felt I needed to report to that committee before I left the position.”

Jones, a former journalist who worked for the Jacksonville Jaguars during their early days as an expansion team and had two stints in the NFL’s front office, was hired by the Packers on Feb. 10, 1999, as senior vice president of administration. He was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer on Oct. 16, 2001.

On Oct. 12, 2005, the Packers’ board of directors, at Harlan’s suggestion, approved a succession plan that would make Jones the team’s president in May 2006 and the team’s CEO upon Harlan’s retirement in May 2007.

“I thought I had it very well planned, and something unforeseen and unfortunate occurred,” Harlan said. “And now we have to deal with it.”

Jones, 55, did not attend Saturday’s news conference. He had emergency heart surgery on June 11, 2006, and didn’t return to work full-time for several months.

“It’s been a very difficult year but also a wonderful year in many respects,” Jones said in a statement released by the team. “I need to step back and recharge my batteries. I will take this leave of absence. The executive committee and I mutually agreed that it was in the best interests of the Green Bay Packers to take this step.”

Though Jones never would discuss the surgery or the nature of his medical problem, his limited work schedule hampered the Packers’ plan to slowly make him the face of the organization by increasing his public appearances during the 2006 season.

Platten wouldn’t answer questions regarding Jones’ health, but medical concerns were not believed to be an issue in the move. Platten also said it had nothing to do with “personal conduct or ethical violations.”

Following the widely popular Harlan was going to be a difficult task regardless, but Jones never seemed to gain the full support of those who worked under him. In recent months, several team employees expressed concerns about Jones to at least one executive committee member.

Instead of meeting on Wednesday to officially hand control of the team to Jones, the Packers’ board of directors will convene to decide what to do next. Platten said it could take up to a year to resolve the situation.

“This has been a very intense process over a relatively short period of time,” Platten said. “We achieved the result we hoped we would, and John has also. What we do now is go from this point and evaluate the situation and go forward as we feel appropriate.”

Harlan was forced to retire this year because the team’s bylaws call for mandatory retirement at age 70. Harlan turned 70 last Sept. 9, but the bylaws allowed him to remain in charge until the board meeting the following spring. Harlan was to continue with the team as chairman emeritus and already had begun moving his belongings into a new, smaller office at Lambeau Field.

“As the executive committee knows, I would do anything for this organization,” Harlan said. “I didn’t think for an extra second when they asked me if I could come back and do this. I’m honored to do it.”

In searching for a new chairman and CEO, the Packers will consider candidates from inside the organization and from other NFL teams.

The most likely internal candidate is Andrew Brandt, 46, the team’s vice president of player finance/general counsel. He has been with the Packers since 1999 and is their chief contract negotiator and salary-cap manager.

Vice president of finance Vicki Vannieuwenhoven and vice president of administration Jason Wied were recently promoted and could receive interviews.

Former Packers executive Mike Reinfeldt, who was hired in February to be the Tennessee Titans executive vice president and general manager, also could be a candidate, though it may be difficult to lure him away from his new job.

Had he not left the Packers in 1998 to follow Mike Holmgren to the Seattle Seahawks, Reinfeldt was on track to be Harlan’s eventual replacement.

Other NFL candidates likely would need to have experience working for a small-market team.

[Farley Face]

Why the intrigue for heaven's sake?

Jones seems unlikely to stay with Packers

By Rob Demovsky
rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com

The makeup of the Green Bay Packers’ front office changed abruptly on Saturday, four days before John Jones was to replace Bob Harlan as the team’s chairman and chief executive officer.


The team announced Jones is taking a leave of absence for personal reasons, then cited “management concerns” involving Jones, who was selected more than a year ago to replace the retiring Harlan.

Though no team officials would say exactly what those concerns were, it appears unlikely that Jones ever will run the Packers.

Harlan has agreed to remain in charge until the team’s executive committee decides what course to take.

Three weeks ago, Harlan went to the committee with concerns about Jones.

Executive committee member Peter Platten said “management issues” came to light several months ago.

“I felt I owed it to the organization,” Harlan said. “I report to the executive committee, and it was my obligation to keep the executive committee informed about anything that I thought was going on in the organization, which I do all the time, and this was an issue I thought we needed to look at.”

Asked whether it was one specific incident involving Jones, Harlan said: “I think ‘management issues’ describes it well. It’s not (a) management issue. It got to the point where I felt I needed to go to the executive committee. It was done at this time because I felt I needed to report to that committee before I left the position.”

Jones, a former journalist who worked for the Jacksonville Jaguars during their early days as an expansion team and had two stints in the NFL’s front office, was hired by the Packers on Feb. 10, 1999, as senior vice president of administration. He was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer on Oct. 16, 2001.

On Oct. 12, 2005, the Packers’ board of directors, at Harlan’s suggestion, approved a succession plan that would make Jones the team’s president in May 2006 and the team’s CEO upon Harlan’s retirement in May 2007.

“I thought I had it very well planned, and something unforeseen and unfortunate occurred,” Harlan said. “And now we have to deal with it.”

Jones, 55, did not attend Saturday’s news conference. He had emergency heart surgery on June 11, 2006, and didn’t return to work full-time for several months.

“It’s been a very difficult year but also a wonderful year in many respects,” Jones said in a statement released by the team. “I need to step back and recharge my batteries. I will take this leave of absence. The executive committee and I mutually agreed that it was in the best interests of the Green Bay Packers to take this step.”

Though Jones never would discuss the surgery or the nature of his medical problem, his limited work schedule hampered the Packers’ plan to slowly make him the face of the organization by increasing his public appearances during the 2006 season.

Platten wouldn’t answer questions regarding Jones’ health, but medical concerns were not believed to be an issue in the move. Platten also said it had nothing to do with “personal conduct or ethical violations.”

Following the widely popular Harlan was going to be a difficult task regardless, but Jones never seemed to gain the full support of those who worked under him. In recent months, several team employees expressed concerns about Jones to at least one executive committee member.

Instead of meeting on Wednesday to officially hand control of the team to Jones, the Packers’ board of directors will convene to decide what to do next. Platten said it could take up to a year to resolve the situation.

“This has been a very intense process over a relatively short period of time,” Platten said. “We achieved the result we hoped we would, and John has also. What we do now is go from this point and evaluate the situation and go forward as we feel appropriate.”

Harlan was forced to retire this year because the team’s bylaws call for mandatory retirement at age 70. Harlan turned 70 last Sept. 9, but the bylaws allowed him to remain in charge until the board meeting the following spring. Harlan was to continue with the team as chairman emeritus and already had begun moving his belongings into a new, smaller office at Lambeau Field.

“As the executive committee knows, I would do anything for this organization,” Harlan said. “I didn’t think for an extra second when they asked me if I could come back and do this. I’m honored to do it.”

In searching for a new chairman and CEO, the Packers will consider candidates from inside the organization and from other NFL teams.

The most likely internal candidate is Andrew Brandt, 46, the team’s vice president of player finance/general counsel. He has been with the Packers since 1999 and is their chief contract negotiator and salary-cap manager.

Vice president of finance Vicki Vannieuwenhoven and vice president of administration Jason Wied were recently promoted and could receive interviews.

Former Packers executive Mike Reinfeldt, who was hired in February to be the Tennessee Titans executive vice president and general manager, also could be a candidate, though it may be difficult to lure him away from his new job.

Had he not left the Packers in 1998 to follow Mike Holmgren to the Seattle Seahawks, Reinfeldt was on track to be Harlan’s eventual replacement.

Other NFL candidates likely would need to have experience working for a small-market team.

If Jones is out for good, and it appears he is, I'm surprised. Harlan had many years to gauge his performance. If Jones wasn't the right guy for the job, why did it take until a week before his annointment to realize he wasn't qualified? I'd vote for Brandt as a replacement but would prefer Reinfeldt.

[Willard]

This is intriguing. I think there are 2 possible explanations (neither of which directly involves his ticker):

#1: JJ has been showing signs of mental decay, possibly brought on by a combination of the enormous stress of his pending responsibilities, his brush with death, or early stage Alzheimers. If he were incompetent it would have shown in the previous 8 years. Apparently it didn't. This points to some sort of mental breakdown resulting in serious "management issues".

--Or--

#2: Everybody who works for JJ hates his guts. How did this escape the attention of the seemingly alert Harlan? My guess is JJ is great at managing "up". In other words, he is one of these guys (whom I have seen all too often in the business world) who has the full support of the top brass to the chagrin of the middle management who must endure his ineptitudes and crappy way of dealing with people (except the higher ups, of course).

[HarveyWallbangers]

Mike Vandermause column: Harlan made right call

Bob Harlan has a lot of guts, and he proved it Saturday in announcing a stunning decision about the long-term future of the Green Bay Packers.

In one of the shrewdest moves of his 18-year tenure as head of the Packers, Harlan essentially sacked his hand-picked successor, John Jones.

It was a courageous act, considering Jones was scheduled to take over the reins of the organization from Harlan on Wednesday.

Harlan’s nice-guy image is well deserved, but as a leader, he can also be ruthless when it comes to promoting and protecting the Packers’ best interests.

Harlan’s tenure as head of the team has been marked by difficult, sometimes gut-wrenching maneuvers. He fired Tom Braatz as general manager in 1991, pulled the Packers out of Milwaukee for financial reasons in 1994, got his hands dirty in a contentious Lambeau Field renovation battle in 2000, and stripped Mike Sherman of his general manager duties in 2005.

But no decision could have been harder, or more significant, than the one he made to pull the plug on Jones’ ascendancy to the Packers’ throne.

Harlan was grim-faced at a Memorial Day weekend press conference in the team’s media auditorium. Asked whether he felt disappointed for Jones, Harlan replied: “Absolutely. It’s a difficult situation. I’m disappointed for John and for his family.”

Harlan groomed Jones for the job, so it couldn’t have been easy to admit he made a mistake. Harlan was just days from retirement and could have strolled into the sunset and never looked back.

Instead, Harlan agreed to continue working full-time as the Packers’ chairman and chief executive officer until a suitable successor is found, which could take up to a year.

Harlan is as honest as they come. When he looks you in the eye and says he has the good of the team at heart in every decision he makes, you can believe him.

His about-face decision on Jones is a prime example. Harlan had serious concerns and unresolved issues about Jones’ leadership ability. As a result, he received the blessing of the Packers’ executive committee to keep Jones out of power.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision,” executive committee member Peter Platten said. “But it was a decision we knew we had to make.”

Officially, Jones is taking an indefinite leave of absence, with pay, for personal reasons. In reality, he never will work for the Packers again, and the two sides will try to work out a severance package.

The timing of the decision is somewhat puzzling, considering Jones has worked for the Packers since 1999 and was pegged as Harlan’s successor 18 months ago. Why did it take so long to determine he wasn’t up to the job?

“Management issues came to light several months ago,” Platten said. “But when you consider how much John has done for the organization already, we were hoping that they would subside enough so that he could take the title.”

The unspecified issues surrounding Jones didn’t go away, leading to his ouster.

The only way Harlan could be happy in retirement is knowing, beyond a doubt, that he was leaving the Packers in good hands. Otherwise, his conscience would have bothered him the rest of his life.

Harlan knew the marriage between Jones and the Packers wouldn’t work. Instead of subjecting the team to an uncertain future, he made a tough call, and the right call.

[GrnBay007]

Harlan was grim-faced at a Memorial Day weekend press conference in the team’s media auditorium. Asked whether he felt disappointed for Jones, Harlan replied: “Absolutely. It’s a difficult situation. I’m disappointed for John and for his family.”

Harlan groomed Jones for the job, so it couldn’t have been easy to admit he made a mistake.

His about-face decision on Jones is a prime example. Harlan had serious concerns and unresolved issues about Jones’ leadership ability. As a result, he received the blessing of the Packers’ executive committee to keep Jones out of power.

“Management issues came to light several months ago,” Platten said. “But when you consider how much John has done for the organization already, we were hoping that they would subside enough so that he could take the title.”

ouch. now this stuff does not sound health related. Too bad, but I'm glad Harlan is staying on.

[Packnut]

Jones

It does'nt sound like the health thing is the cause. Sounds more like a huge difference of direction between Harlan and Jones. Jones obviously had plans Harlan did'nt like. The timing of this tells us Jones voiced his unhappiness about something to Harlan and it just happened. Nothing else explains the timing issue. Anything else such would have been discovered before this recent event.

[GrnBay007]

Re: Jones

The timing of this tells us Jones voiced his unhappiness about something to Harlan and it just happened. Nothing else explains the timing issue. Anything else such would have been discovered before this recent event.

You don't suppose Jones wanted Moss and voiced his disappointment in not getting him??? lol :P

[Joemailman]

Maybe Jones wanted to put a dome on Lambeau.

[the_idle_threat]

Colonel Mustard in the Billiard Room with the Rope.

I have the Billiard room.

[Kiwon]

Profootballtalk.com's take:

Our guess is that Jones quietly will fade into the background, and that the team will hire a new president after the 2007 season.

Ha, ha. I've got the perfect candidate......


Bob Harlan speaking......

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce you to the new president of the Green Bay Packers, a familiar face to us, Mr. Mike Sherman!"

[the_idle_threat]

Word on the street is that they pulled the rug out from under John Jones when they found out Vince McMahon was interested in the job.

[Scott Campbell]

Well obviously Harlan would have no problem firing Ted if it were necessary.

[GBRulz]

Yeah, I'm convinced it's not health issues after seeing their PC and also reading the articles posted here. Of course there will be speculation about different things, but I'm glad Harlan stepped in and did this.

I know there is a bylaw about him having to retire at 70, but I would be all for letting him stay as long as he can lead this organization. Bob Harlan has done wonders for this organization.

I'm not sure Brandt is the answer. He's good at what he does, but he's not very personable which would huge in this role. A few examples of why I personally don't like the guy...

Many people have told me that he was part of a cover up for a former Packer in the administration who sexually assaulted someone in the Anduzzi's parking lot a few years back.

My friend accidentally put a golf ball through his window once before and he was beyond an asshole about it. He wasn't even home at the time, but we went up to his house and told his wife. My friend got a call later from Brandt saying basically pay for the window or get sued......

There was something about how he went to law school but was never allowed to get his license in any state to practice law. Not quite sure what the whole story was about that. I dunno - I just don't care for him ethics-wise, but I will admit that he knows his stuff.