HECK!
Bluto
offline
Registered: May 2003
Local time: 11:41 PM
Location: Delta House
Posts: 17632
|
SEATTLE - Bob Whitsitt was fired by the Seahawks as president of football operations Friday, the same day Seattle VP Ted Thompson was hired by Green Bay as general manager.
"I decided to take a change of direction and bring in somebody with a deep background in football to run the football side of the organization," Seahawks owner Paul Allen said. "I didn't take it lightly at all, but felt it's what is needed for the franchise."
Whitsitt served as the Seahawks' president for eight years and helped negotiate the purchase and development of Qwest Field and the hiring of Mike Holmgren as head coach.
Whitsitt is the former president and general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers (news), also owned by Allen.
Whitsitt is currently recovering from colon surgery to remove a growth.
Seattle went 9-7 and won the NFC West this season, then lost to St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs.
Thompson will take over Packers coach Mike Sherman's GM duties.
The Seahawks have 16 players eligible for unrestricted free agency, including running back Shaun Alexander, offensive lineman Walter Jones, and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
"Obviously we're a little short-handed at the moment, so we have to work quickly with the search," Allen said. "We're going to have to really address those issues quickly."
-------
-HECK!
|
01-15-2005 03:36 AM
