The Official Word On John Jones » Brats & Beer

July 21, 2007
posted under: Bob Harlan, John Jones, Packers

Yesterday the Green Bay Packers officially accepted the resignation of president John Jones and started its search for a successor for outgoing CEO Bob Harlan. According to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the team agreed to pay Jones the full value of his three-year contract, a settlement of about $2.7 million.

The official announcement should end months of speculation about why Jones was ousted from the team just days before he was supposed to take over as CEO, but really it only raises more questions and will keep us guessing what is going on behind the doors of the Packers front office. In May when Jones was placed on indefinite leave, Harlan told the press that management concerns led to the decision and that “health was not an issue,” yet the official statement directly contradicts this, citing the effects of Jones’ emergency open heart surgery in 2006 as the reason for his departure:

“What happened to me a year ago was sudden and devastating,” said Jones. “Due to a previously undetected, rare birth defect of the heart, I experienced an aortic dissection. I underwent a series of complex emergency heart surgeries in June 2006. I am grateful that I survived.

“However, like many heart surgery patients, I have found that the residual effects of the surgeries have made it difficult to continue my current job.

So was it health related or performance related? I guess we may never know because so far neither the Press-Gazette nor the Journal Sentinel has been able to get to the truth of the matter, or perhaps they are unwilling to pursue the matter fully because they want to stay in the good graces of the team.

I can understand the motivation for keeping the details of what happened under wraps in order to protect privacy and personal reputations, but at the same time fans and the community need to have confidence in the people who are running the franchise. Issuing white-washed, prepared statements and keeping the truth from us only leads to speculation about what turmoil is going on in the front office and makes us wonder if that will affect the team on the field.