November 17, 2022 • 21 mins
Host Caroline Hendershot is joined by NFL Chief Football Administrative Officer Dawn Aponte. They kick off the podcast talking about Aponte’s current position in the League office (0:22) and how it changes in season and off season (2:26). Aponte also talks about beginning her career with the Jets and the evolution of her roles (3:31), especially her role as a salary cap assistant (4:52). Aponte discusses the impact of the mentors she has had along the way including Mike Tannenbaum, Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells (7:10). The two then talk about working and succeeding in a male-dominated environment (9:29). Aponte highlights the pivotal moments in her career (10:33). Hendershot also asks Aponte about the challenges and surprises of the job (18:16). Lastly, the two discuss the excitement surrounding the Jets and the NFL as a whole this season (20:00).
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome in to another episode of New York Her. I'm
your host, Caroline hender Shot, and today we have a
very exciting guest, don A Ponte. She's the NFL's chief
football administrative officer. Don thank you so much for joining us.
I'm so happy to have you on. Thanks Caroline, I'm
great to be here. Okay, So, I don't know how
many people know your whole history, but it is so
(00:27):
impressive you have been within the NFL, within teams and
facets of the league for your entirety of your career.
But I want you to start out with your current
position and how you would describe your day to day Sure. So,
my current position, it actually didn't exist before I came here.
This is my second stand at the league office. UH,
(00:49):
and really what I enjoy about it is that it
was a position that sort of was created to help,
you know, kind of leverage my background and experience UH,
and have really had great opportunity to be involved in
a number of different areas UH, including game operations, UM, officiating,
UM and a lot of other football operations matters on
(01:11):
a day to day basis. My current job in terms
of day to day now that we're in season, I
spend the majority of my time really on a week
to week basis, with the games coming up the next
week depending upon what certain issues arise. We had five
international games, the final one coming up this Monday in
Mexico City, so a lot more to be done when
(01:32):
we're playing internationally since we control those games. UM. So
during the year, really it is mostly on the game
operations side of things and dealing with officiating, primarily administrative
matters that come up. And then as we move on
to postseason UH, then that is full time pretty much
UM overseeing all of the games. We take control of
(01:54):
postseason all the way through Super Bowl UH, and then
we move into the off season, which a lot of
that entails kind of the preparation for the upcoming season,
everything from reviewing rules policies, meeting with all of the
different committees, the Competition Committee, the General Managers Committee, the
head coaches subcommittee UH, and really going into an annual meetings.
(02:17):
So a lot of those things. Again, so a lot
of the off season is in preparation similar to how
it is at a club. We operate like that. Here
is there a big difference And this seems like an
obvious question, but is there a big difference in your
workload from when you're in season versus when you're out
of season or is it pretty constant and NonStop. It's
(02:40):
pretty constant and also kind of the similarities. When you're
in season, your your weeks are more structured. Uh, you know,
you kind of know what's coming on each day, which
is that the games are going to be played, what
days that you're dealing with other kind of off the
field items or preparation. Um, so, yeah, I think in
season it's um, it's a it's busy, but it's a
(03:02):
different kind of busy and more structured busy versus the
off season. Uh, you know, you just kind of popping
around to different things and and trying to kind of
pull a lot of things together to get ready for
the next year. Right. It's almost kind of nice in
season because while you sometimes feel like a chicken running
around with their head cut off because it's just so
chaotic all the time, it is nice because their structure
(03:23):
to it. You know, like you know that there's Sunday games,
and you know there's Monday and Thursday. So it's nice
to have a little bit more of a formulaic approach.
But I want to go back to the beginning of
your career because a lot of people probably don't know
you started with the Jets, which is so special, especially
coming from here where I'm talking to you from Flora Park.
(03:45):
But how did you initially get your first intern with
the Jets and then how did that role kind of
transform because then you stayed with the Jets for a
while but took on a variety of different positions. Yep,
so complete happenstance. I started with the Jets in one
I was an accounting major in college and uh, someone
was going on maternity leave, and at that time, they
(04:07):
didn't have like we have today, internships and other people
coming in from the outside. So I came there for
a summer to fill in. I thought it was going
to be sort of a one year thing. I thought
a good thing for my resume. Uh. And then after
that summer, the Jets said, Hey, would you be interested
in coming back next season? I don't, thinking great, you know,
can do that for next summer because I was going
(04:27):
into my junior year. Uh. And then after my second
summer they called and said that they were interested in
creating a full time position in accounting and if I
would be interested in taking that on. So again, super
fortunate for how it worked out, but also you know
it was it really kind of launched my thirty plus
(04:48):
years in the league by starting with the Jets and
getting that opportunity. I know, you took on the role
of being a salary cap assistant at one point with
the Jets. Now, just from a basic viewership standpoint, as
like a basic fan, you know, salary cap is obviously important,
but how hard was that job kind of juggling all
(05:09):
of those moving pieces and being able to make sure
that the Jets were able to get all of the
players they wanted and still remain under the salary cap.
So it's interesting because at that time when I first started,
we didn't have a salary cap in the NFL. We
were still implementing it. The NBA had one, UH, the
MLB there's more of a luxury tax, but we had
(05:32):
UM finally implemented in UH and at that point I
was learning it along with everyone else in the league.
So the synergy between sort of my numbers and finance
side of things and then what really the salary cap
was intended to do, which was to kind of manage
costs at the club level became sort of a natural,
(05:55):
you know, sort of marriage for for what I was doing.
So it really gave me the opportunity of seeing how
I could kind of take on some of that role
at the time that nobody had and really it was
um it was both challenging as well as fulfilling, and
that's how I got probably mostly into UM most interested
in sort of the football side of the business and
(06:17):
really understanding that there was a lot more to that
than just watching the players on the field of practice
and on Sundays on game day. Did someone suggest this
position to you or did you see it and know that,
like maybe I might be a good fit for it.
So yeah, there really wasn't a position at the time,
just like, okay, clubs are handed this number. Now you've
(06:37):
got to figure all of this out. At the time,
our president was Steve Gutman UH and he was very
involved in league matters. He represented Leon Has, who owned
the team at the time, on a lot of club business,
so he was in integral in terms of UH not
only implementing the league wide salary cap, but also as
a mentor for me in terms of explaining what, you know,
(07:00):
how it was operating what we needed to do, so
also worked very closely with him at the time. Again,
a tremendous opportunity for someone at twenty two years old
to be able to do. Now. He you mentioned him
being one of your mentors, but I've read that you've
had some other pretty impressive mentors, including Mike tannenbaumb Bill Belichick,
Bill Parcels One. I want to know how those relationships
(07:24):
start to get formed, because I'm sure once you're in
the league, you're meeting all of these people that are
now just such high stature, but they just seem like
a normal guide you because you probably have a lot
of face time with them, am I right, Yeah, it's funny.
And you know, back then I was in accounting. Direct
deposit was not a thing, so everyone had to come
(07:48):
and get their check. My office was outside of the
men's locker room when we were out in Hempstead, so
I actually got to see all of the coaches, all
of the players coming in and out and just visually
kind of you know, kind of said high on a
regular basis. But then on pay day I was all
of their friends, so um, they would come by and
(08:09):
pick up their checks and you know, I think the
other thing, uh, I feel fortunate for when I grew
up in this business because even though it was extremely
male dominated dominant, it was also I felt like people
cared about me. And I was told like, hey, don't
fraternize with the players. It's going to be a perception issue.
We didn't have a lot of females there at the time. Uh,
(08:31):
And I felt like I really had people kind of
guiding me to not create, like, you know, the wrong perception. Uh.
And I think, you know, the other piece of advice
that I always used to get was like, you know,
I like to talk a lot, and uh. I was like,
you know, God gave you two years in one mouth
for a reason. Take that into considerations. So um, you know,
I always kind of had the mentality you just keep
(08:53):
your head down, you work hard, you'll be noticed. And
I think that was a lot of the you know,
this goes to the question of building those relation ships,
and I think it was more through um, my actions
than my words that I felt that I was able
to kind of build those relationships where I had those
individuals coming to me asking questions. I started to, you know,
(09:14):
make sure that I could become a the c B
a expert as well as the salary cap expert. Uh,
and always just wanted to be a resource to be
able to assist and um that sort of helped, because
I think it was more through work than it was
just personal. You mentioned being in a male dominated industry.
Was that ever, not necessarily a struggle, but maybe just
(09:36):
a little lonesome at times not having other women within
the department or the building to really just get some
perspective or ask different questions of because I feel like
from my point of view nowadays, I sit in a
row and my entire row at work is all women.
So that's like such a difference and such a night
and day from what you've experienced. Yeah, I never, honestly
(10:01):
didn't really think about at the time because I always
felt like I was, you know, I was being sort
of given an opportunity, and I was just told, like,
you have to prove yourself. You're going to be no
different than any guy that's sitting next to you, and
you just need to work hard, and you know, if
you're committed to it and you're working and you'll be
recognized for that. And I never really thought about, Wow,
(10:23):
I don't have any women who are helping me, because
I do think that I had a lot of men
in positions of authority that sort of properly positioned me
to take advantage of those opportunities. Do you feel, looking
back on your career up until this point, that there
was a moment that was really pivotal for you that
kind of sticks out and maybe it really set you
(10:44):
on the path that you are on today or just
made you realize that this was the industry you were
always meant to be in. So when I started, like
I said, it was a complete happenstance, but realized quickly
that I did love working for a football organization. Um,
but also realized I don't want to do accounting for
my whole career. UM. And I was married very young,
(11:07):
I was twenty three, had my first child of twenty four, uh,
and sat down for one of my reviews with my
boss at the time and he said to me, you know,
you're doing a great job. This is great and you
know we're kind of mom and pop. You could this
will still be great for you. You can have a
family and you know, stay in this role and as
we move on, you can move up and um, you
(11:29):
know when you say, pivotal, pivotal. It was one of
those things that I thought at the time, like, oh my, like,
this is not what I want to do for my
whole career. So really got me thinking, like what do
I need to do to put myself in the best
position to take advantage of any opportunity if in fact,
I had said I wanted to go to the football
(11:50):
side and kind of got a chuckle and was like, Oh,
that's cute, like, you know, but that's not going to happen,
you know, culturally, that's just not going to be accepted.
And I thought, wow, that's crazy, Like that was the
first time I kind of ever felt like, you know,
so because I'm a female, I can't do that. Um.
But I thought to myself, you have one of two
(12:10):
ways to take this, Like you could argue the point,
which isn't gonna get you anywhere, or you can actually,
you know, take matters in your own hands and do
whatever you can, um to make sure that you are
in a position that you can't be compared to anybody
else male female, Uh, that would be better suited um.
And that's kind of what put me on. I went
(12:30):
from my masters, I got my c P a. I
went to law school at night. UM, so I just said,
I'm going to do all of these things and really
try to figure out, um, you know, how to kind
of get to that next step wherever it is. So
with those next steps came you. Then in two thousand
and six, six ish right around then, you went to
(12:50):
the NFL and you worked as the VP Labor of Finance.
Then you went with the Browns as the VP of
Football Administration, then to the Dolphins as the s VP
of Football Operations, and now you're back with the NFL.
With such an ever changing business, how have you managed
to not only just change with the business as it
(13:11):
grows and as it continues to expand, like you were saying,
international games and all of that, but just move around
and be like Malleable in that sense. First and foremost,
family commitment. Um, they're all on board. I have a
wonderful husband and four kids who have been on this journey. Uh,
and I think we've really always approached it as such
(13:33):
like this is you know, life is a journey. It
wasn't about finding a job, you know, having a house
and saying we're going to you know, plant ourselves here
and stay here. It was sort of like, what's the
next adventure? Um, And they've been on board the whole time.
And I really feel like that has been the biggest
part of kind of being willing to take those steps
(13:54):
and uh, you know, trying new things. And I do
like new jobs, new opportunities, and particularly new chant lenges.
So um, every time I made a move, it was
really you know, in my mind, it wasn't necessarily I'm
looking for my next job, but kind of started feeling like, Okay, I,
you know, get a bit of a sailing and I'm
ready for that next challenge. Um, And that sort of
(14:16):
me up, how do I take the next step where
I can contribute with all of my skills and experience
but also learn and grow, continue to grow with all
of those different moves that you experienced and going to
those different teams. Do you feel like there's a favorite
memory where you look back on your whole path and
all those different teams and positions that you held and think,
(14:37):
I can't believe that happened, or it still makes you laugh,
or is there a moment that stands out to you
like that. There's probably so many I couldn't narrow it down. Um,
but I think the common theme of it was really
the people that I've worked with over thirty plus years,
and you know, you have you kind of your cross
(14:57):
paths so many times and U you know, when I
was leaving to go to the Jets, When I was
leaving the Jets to go to the League Office, her
Med Words had been the head coach back then UM
and he was transitioning going to Kansas City. I was
pregnant with twins. The League Office called and asked me
about this job. I wasn't really looking to leave UM,
(15:17):
and it just was the right thing for me the
right time. I was living in the city UH and Eric.
We wound up hiring Eric Mangini as our head coach,
and Eric was there in the nineties UM as a
position coach, and then we stayed in contact when he
went up to New England and then he came back
and he said, Okay, you're not leaving and I was like, no, no,
I'm leaving, Like I've already committed I'm going. And he's like, no,
(15:41):
we want you to stay. And I was like that's great,
but you know, I've made the decision. And he said okay.
He's like, well we're going to work together again someday. Um,
And I'm thinking, yeah, okay, whatever, you know, whenever that happens. Um.
And you know, fast forward three years when Eric got
the job in Cleveland. He called and he was like,
maybe can you get me some recommendations for somebody for
(16:02):
this position. I did. A couple of days later, we
call back, how about you. I'm like, oh, gosh, I can't.
I can't go to Cleveland. That's my family will kill me.
I can't move out of here. You know, kids are
in school now. And uh. I went on the visit
and I called home and I said, I think we're
going to move to Cleveland. So um. You know, my
family remembers some of those market moments, similar to a
(16:23):
year later when we went to Miami and they're like,
we're going where you see? It's so crazy out Those
moments are so full circle, and you you say to
those people, no, I don't think that's gonna happen, and
then sure enough, it always don't happen. But I know
you grew up on Long Island. Did you ever think
(16:44):
did you love football from such a young age, or
did you ever think that your whole career would be
in football and let alone the National Football League or
or did that just kind of happen by chance? It
really happened by chance. I mean we were a huge
New York Giants family. Um, so football was always, you know,
(17:05):
on on Sundays in the house, and my grandfather was
a huge giant stand um. But when we got to
the Jets, um, almost everyone transitioned to be a Jet fan. Um.
But yeah, no, I never thought that I'd spend my
career in it. Again. Cannot be you know, more fortunate
for having the opportunities I've had. And it's an amazing
(17:28):
you know sport. It's a great business and amazing people
throughout my career, um, you know, and you just you
never forget, like you know, in your your sort of
car of different pieces. I've got, you know, a piece
of my heart at the Jets, a piece at the Browns,
and a piece of the Dolphins. So um, you know
you sort of always a rooting for those teams in particular,
(17:48):
and then your kids depending upon the age that they
grew up. I have a ten year span, m My
oldest now is twenty six, and I have twin sixteen
year old. So um, you know, they all have different
experiences at the different team. So my son today, the
year old, remembers the Jets Jets fest. Um, you know,
before the game we would go there. He would kind
of go and uh, you know, do all the activities
(18:10):
before the game. And he sat in regular seats when
we were at the Jets. So he's the tougher one.
So before I ask you my last question, I have
to ask you what would you tell people when they
ask you the question of what aspect about your job
would surprise people the most? Because while you're going, going, going,
(18:33):
and everyone assumes, okay, it's all about football all the time.
Is there a part of your job that maybe isn't
his glamorous or people don't even know that you really
take care of a lot of this one subject. Is
there any surprises that come along with your job every day?
I mean, you know, I laughed where I was two
(18:55):
two or three years ago. I was in Kansas City.
We had a postseason game, and you know, the benches
weren't getting cleared off enough and I was there with
one of my one of the people I work with,
another female, and we're out there and we've got snow
and everything, you know, on the benches and nobody's clearing
it off, and we're you know, like, okay, let's go,
and we just go. We're you know, soaking wet neck
(19:16):
to foot, like just you know, stuff has to get done.
I think I think it's just more about making sure
in this business it really is about pitching in we
talked about teamwork all the time. Uh. There are tasks
every day, big and small that we do. Um. And
I think that's really what makes it great because I
think that most of the people in this business understand that. Uh,
(19:36):
and anyway that you can contribute to the team's overall success,
whether you're at a club or at UM at the
league office. Uh, it really is about you know, there's
a lot of things that are probably less glamorous than
more glamorous. Yeah. I feel like that's an aspect that
people sometimes forget because they think NFL. They think football.
Oh man, you just get to watch football all the time.
(19:58):
That's the life. I wish that was my job. And
there's so much more that goes into it behind the scenes,
of course. But before I let you go, I have
to ask you. And I know part of your heart
lays in Cleveland. Part of your heart lays in Miami.
But the Jets, the two Jets who I feel as
though I haven't been a surprise to anyone in the
building because we've kind of seen that team build throughout
(20:19):
the off season and we've watched them through training camp.
But a little bit of a shock to people outside
the building. What have you thought of their performance? And
just the competitive nature of not only the a f
C East, but just the NFL this year, it seems
like each game is just crazier than the next each week.
It's incredible, it really is. I mean and obviously growing
(20:41):
up in New York and Weather that's the Jets of
a giant. Still also a fan of both, but um,
you know, being at the Jets for fifteen plus years,
like I said, I have a lot of history. They're uh,
you know, super excited for the people at the organization,
including you know, starting with Woody Johnson and Chris Johnson
and um, you know, knowing all the time, time, effort
and resources that they put into the team, I think
(21:03):
it's just awesome for you know, for New York fans
that you know, they're getting the type of football that
they want and expect, and uh and I think that
you know, just the NFL overall, it's it's amazing on
a week to week basis. The parody and the competitiveness
amongst all of the teams that makes it so exciting.
It really does. It has been nothing short of exciting.
(21:25):
But don thank you so much for sharing your entire career.
It's been an honor to get to talk to you
for as long as we've gotten today. But seriously, thank
you so much. We appreciate it, and thanks so much
for the time. Thanks have a great day. Thanks so
much for listening to another episode of New Yorker. Make
sure you rate, review, like, and subscribe on the I
(21:46):
Heart radio app or wherever you listen to your podcast.
That's all from us this week, and we will see
you soon on the next New Yorker.
Welcome in to another episode of New York Her. I'm
your host, Caroline hender Shot, and today we have a
very exciting guest, don A Ponte. She's the NFL's chief
football administrative officer. Don thank you so much for joining us.
I'm so happy to have you on. Thanks Caroline, I'm
great to be here. Okay, So, I don't know how
many people know your whole history, but it is so
(00:27):
impressive you have been within the NFL, within teams and
facets of the league for your entirety of your career.
But I want you to start out with your current
position and how you would describe your day to day Sure. So,
my current position, it actually didn't exist before I came here.
This is my second stand at the league office. UH,
(00:49):
and really what I enjoy about it is that it
was a position that sort of was created to help,
you know, kind of leverage my background and experience UH,
and have really had great opportunity to be involved in
a number of different areas UH, including game operations, UM, officiating,
UM and a lot of other football operations matters on
(01:11):
a day to day basis. My current job in terms
of day to day now that we're in season, I
spend the majority of my time really on a week
to week basis, with the games coming up the next
week depending upon what certain issues arise. We had five
international games, the final one coming up this Monday in
Mexico City, so a lot more to be done when
(01:32):
we're playing internationally since we control those games. UM. So
during the year, really it is mostly on the game
operations side of things and dealing with officiating, primarily administrative
matters that come up. And then as we move on
to postseason UH, then that is full time pretty much
UM overseeing all of the games. We take control of
(01:54):
postseason all the way through Super Bowl UH, and then
we move into the off season, which a lot of
that entails kind of the preparation for the upcoming season,
everything from reviewing rules policies, meeting with all of the
different committees, the Competition Committee, the General Managers Committee, the
head coaches subcommittee UH, and really going into an annual meetings.
(02:17):
So a lot of those things. Again, so a lot
of the off season is in preparation similar to how
it is at a club. We operate like that. Here
is there a big difference And this seems like an
obvious question, but is there a big difference in your
workload from when you're in season versus when you're out
of season or is it pretty constant and NonStop. It's
(02:40):
pretty constant and also kind of the similarities. When you're
in season, your your weeks are more structured. Uh, you know,
you kind of know what's coming on each day, which
is that the games are going to be played, what
days that you're dealing with other kind of off the
field items or preparation. Um, so, yeah, I think in
season it's um, it's a it's busy, but it's a
(03:02):
different kind of busy and more structured busy versus the
off season. Uh, you know, you just kind of popping
around to different things and and trying to kind of
pull a lot of things together to get ready for
the next year. Right. It's almost kind of nice in
season because while you sometimes feel like a chicken running
around with their head cut off because it's just so
chaotic all the time, it is nice because their structure
(03:23):
to it. You know, like you know that there's Sunday games,
and you know there's Monday and Thursday. So it's nice
to have a little bit more of a formulaic approach.
But I want to go back to the beginning of
your career because a lot of people probably don't know
you started with the Jets, which is so special, especially
coming from here where I'm talking to you from Flora Park.
(03:45):
But how did you initially get your first intern with
the Jets and then how did that role kind of
transform because then you stayed with the Jets for a
while but took on a variety of different positions. Yep,
so complete happenstance. I started with the Jets in one
I was an accounting major in college and uh, someone
was going on maternity leave, and at that time, they
(04:07):
didn't have like we have today, internships and other people
coming in from the outside. So I came there for
a summer to fill in. I thought it was going
to be sort of a one year thing. I thought
a good thing for my resume. Uh. And then after
that summer, the Jets said, Hey, would you be interested
in coming back next season? I don't, thinking great, you know,
can do that for next summer because I was going
(04:27):
into my junior year. Uh. And then after my second
summer they called and said that they were interested in
creating a full time position in accounting and if I
would be interested in taking that on. So again, super
fortunate for how it worked out, but also you know
it was it really kind of launched my thirty plus
(04:48):
years in the league by starting with the Jets and
getting that opportunity. I know, you took on the role
of being a salary cap assistant at one point with
the Jets. Now, just from a basic viewership standpoint, as
like a basic fan, you know, salary cap is obviously important,
but how hard was that job kind of juggling all
(05:09):
of those moving pieces and being able to make sure
that the Jets were able to get all of the
players they wanted and still remain under the salary cap.
So it's interesting because at that time when I first started,
we didn't have a salary cap in the NFL. We
were still implementing it. The NBA had one, UH, the
MLB there's more of a luxury tax, but we had
(05:32):
UM finally implemented in UH and at that point I
was learning it along with everyone else in the league.
So the synergy between sort of my numbers and finance
side of things and then what really the salary cap
was intended to do, which was to kind of manage
costs at the club level became sort of a natural,
(05:55):
you know, sort of marriage for for what I was doing.
So it really gave me the opportunity of seeing how
I could kind of take on some of that role
at the time that nobody had and really it was
um it was both challenging as well as fulfilling, and
that's how I got probably mostly into UM most interested
in sort of the football side of the business and
(06:17):
really understanding that there was a lot more to that
than just watching the players on the field of practice
and on Sundays on game day. Did someone suggest this
position to you or did you see it and know that,
like maybe I might be a good fit for it.
So yeah, there really wasn't a position at the time,
just like, okay, clubs are handed this number. Now you've
(06:37):
got to figure all of this out. At the time,
our president was Steve Gutman UH and he was very
involved in league matters. He represented Leon Has, who owned
the team at the time, on a lot of club business,
so he was in integral in terms of UH not
only implementing the league wide salary cap, but also as
a mentor for me in terms of explaining what, you know,
(07:00):
how it was operating what we needed to do, so
also worked very closely with him at the time. Again,
a tremendous opportunity for someone at twenty two years old
to be able to do. Now. He you mentioned him
being one of your mentors, but I've read that you've
had some other pretty impressive mentors, including Mike tannenbaumb Bill Belichick,
Bill Parcels One. I want to know how those relationships
(07:24):
start to get formed, because I'm sure once you're in
the league, you're meeting all of these people that are
now just such high stature, but they just seem like
a normal guide you because you probably have a lot
of face time with them, am I right, Yeah, it's funny.
And you know, back then I was in accounting. Direct
deposit was not a thing, so everyone had to come
(07:48):
and get their check. My office was outside of the
men's locker room when we were out in Hempstead, so
I actually got to see all of the coaches, all
of the players coming in and out and just visually
kind of you know, kind of said high on a
regular basis. But then on pay day I was all
of their friends, so um, they would come by and
(08:09):
pick up their checks and you know, I think the
other thing, uh, I feel fortunate for when I grew
up in this business because even though it was extremely
male dominated dominant, it was also I felt like people
cared about me. And I was told like, hey, don't
fraternize with the players. It's going to be a perception issue.
We didn't have a lot of females there at the time. Uh,
(08:31):
And I felt like I really had people kind of
guiding me to not create, like, you know, the wrong perception. Uh.
And I think, you know, the other piece of advice
that I always used to get was like, you know,
I like to talk a lot, and uh. I was like,
you know, God gave you two years in one mouth
for a reason. Take that into considerations. So um, you know,
I always kind of had the mentality you just keep
(08:53):
your head down, you work hard, you'll be noticed. And
I think that was a lot of the you know,
this goes to the question of building those relation ships,
and I think it was more through um, my actions
than my words that I felt that I was able
to kind of build those relationships where I had those
individuals coming to me asking questions. I started to, you know,
(09:14):
make sure that I could become a the c B
a expert as well as the salary cap expert. Uh,
and always just wanted to be a resource to be
able to assist and um that sort of helped, because
I think it was more through work than it was
just personal. You mentioned being in a male dominated industry.
Was that ever, not necessarily a struggle, but maybe just
(09:36):
a little lonesome at times not having other women within
the department or the building to really just get some
perspective or ask different questions of because I feel like
from my point of view nowadays, I sit in a
row and my entire row at work is all women.
So that's like such a difference and such a night
and day from what you've experienced. Yeah, I never, honestly
(10:01):
didn't really think about at the time because I always
felt like I was, you know, I was being sort
of given an opportunity, and I was just told, like,
you have to prove yourself. You're going to be no
different than any guy that's sitting next to you, and
you just need to work hard, and you know, if
you're committed to it and you're working and you'll be
recognized for that. And I never really thought about, Wow,
(10:23):
I don't have any women who are helping me, because
I do think that I had a lot of men
in positions of authority that sort of properly positioned me
to take advantage of those opportunities. Do you feel, looking
back on your career up until this point, that there
was a moment that was really pivotal for you that
kind of sticks out and maybe it really set you
(10:44):
on the path that you are on today or just
made you realize that this was the industry you were
always meant to be in. So when I started, like
I said, it was a complete happenstance, but realized quickly
that I did love working for a football organization. Um,
but also realized I don't want to do accounting for
my whole career. UM. And I was married very young,
(11:07):
I was twenty three, had my first child of twenty four, uh,
and sat down for one of my reviews with my
boss at the time and he said to me, you know,
you're doing a great job. This is great and you
know we're kind of mom and pop. You could this
will still be great for you. You can have a
family and you know, stay in this role and as
we move on, you can move up and um, you
(11:29):
know when you say, pivotal, pivotal. It was one of
those things that I thought at the time, like, oh my, like,
this is not what I want to do for my
whole career. So really got me thinking, like what do
I need to do to put myself in the best
position to take advantage of any opportunity if in fact,
I had said I wanted to go to the football
(11:50):
side and kind of got a chuckle and was like, Oh,
that's cute, like, you know, but that's not going to happen,
you know, culturally, that's just not going to be accepted.
And I thought, wow, that's crazy, Like that was the
first time I kind of ever felt like, you know,
so because I'm a female, I can't do that. Um.
But I thought to myself, you have one of two
(12:10):
ways to take this, Like you could argue the point,
which isn't gonna get you anywhere, or you can actually,
you know, take matters in your own hands and do
whatever you can, um to make sure that you are
in a position that you can't be compared to anybody
else male female, Uh, that would be better suited um.
And that's kind of what put me on. I went
(12:30):
from my masters, I got my c P a. I
went to law school at night. UM, so I just said,
I'm going to do all of these things and really
try to figure out, um, you know, how to kind
of get to that next step wherever it is. So
with those next steps came you. Then in two thousand
and six, six ish right around then, you went to
(12:50):
the NFL and you worked as the VP Labor of Finance.
Then you went with the Browns as the VP of
Football Administration, then to the Dolphins as the s VP
of Football Operations, and now you're back with the NFL.
With such an ever changing business, how have you managed
to not only just change with the business as it
(13:11):
grows and as it continues to expand, like you were saying,
international games and all of that, but just move around
and be like Malleable in that sense. First and foremost,
family commitment. Um, they're all on board. I have a
wonderful husband and four kids who have been on this journey. Uh,
and I think we've really always approached it as such
(13:33):
like this is you know, life is a journey. It
wasn't about finding a job, you know, having a house
and saying we're going to you know, plant ourselves here
and stay here. It was sort of like, what's the
next adventure? Um, And they've been on board the whole time.
And I really feel like that has been the biggest
part of kind of being willing to take those steps
(13:54):
and uh, you know, trying new things. And I do
like new jobs, new opportunities, and particularly new chant lenges.
So um, every time I made a move, it was
really you know, in my mind, it wasn't necessarily I'm
looking for my next job, but kind of started feeling like, Okay, I,
you know, get a bit of a sailing and I'm
ready for that next challenge. Um, And that sort of
(14:16):
me up, how do I take the next step where
I can contribute with all of my skills and experience
but also learn and grow, continue to grow with all
of those different moves that you experienced and going to
those different teams. Do you feel like there's a favorite
memory where you look back on your whole path and
all those different teams and positions that you held and think,
(14:37):
I can't believe that happened, or it still makes you laugh,
or is there a moment that stands out to you
like that. There's probably so many I couldn't narrow it down. Um,
but I think the common theme of it was really
the people that I've worked with over thirty plus years,
and you know, you have you kind of your cross
(14:57):
paths so many times and U you know, when I
was leaving to go to the Jets, When I was
leaving the Jets to go to the League Office, her
Med Words had been the head coach back then UM
and he was transitioning going to Kansas City. I was
pregnant with twins. The League Office called and asked me
about this job. I wasn't really looking to leave UM,
(15:17):
and it just was the right thing for me the
right time. I was living in the city UH and Eric.
We wound up hiring Eric Mangini as our head coach,
and Eric was there in the nineties UM as a
position coach, and then we stayed in contact when he
went up to New England and then he came back
and he said, Okay, you're not leaving and I was like, no, no,
I'm leaving, Like I've already committed I'm going. And he's like, no,
(15:41):
we want you to stay. And I was like that's great,
but you know, I've made the decision. And he said okay.
He's like, well we're going to work together again someday. Um,
And I'm thinking, yeah, okay, whatever, you know, whenever that happens. Um.
And you know, fast forward three years when Eric got
the job in Cleveland. He called and he was like,
maybe can you get me some recommendations for somebody for
(16:02):
this position. I did. A couple of days later, we
call back, how about you. I'm like, oh, gosh, I can't.
I can't go to Cleveland. That's my family will kill me.
I can't move out of here. You know, kids are
in school now. And uh. I went on the visit
and I called home and I said, I think we're
going to move to Cleveland. So um. You know, my
family remembers some of those market moments, similar to a
(16:23):
year later when we went to Miami and they're like,
we're going where you see? It's so crazy out Those
moments are so full circle, and you you say to
those people, no, I don't think that's gonna happen, and
then sure enough, it always don't happen. But I know
you grew up on Long Island. Did you ever think
(16:44):
did you love football from such a young age, or
did you ever think that your whole career would be
in football and let alone the National Football League or
or did that just kind of happen by chance? It
really happened by chance. I mean we were a huge
New York Giants family. Um, so football was always, you know,
(17:05):
on on Sundays in the house, and my grandfather was
a huge giant stand um. But when we got to
the Jets, um, almost everyone transitioned to be a Jet fan. Um.
But yeah, no, I never thought that I'd spend my
career in it. Again. Cannot be you know, more fortunate
for having the opportunities I've had. And it's an amazing
(17:28):
you know sport. It's a great business and amazing people
throughout my career, um, you know, and you just you
never forget, like you know, in your your sort of
car of different pieces. I've got, you know, a piece
of my heart at the Jets, a piece at the Browns,
and a piece of the Dolphins. So um, you know
you sort of always a rooting for those teams in particular,
(17:48):
and then your kids depending upon the age that they
grew up. I have a ten year span, m My
oldest now is twenty six, and I have twin sixteen
year old. So um, you know, they all have different
experiences at the different team. So my son today, the
year old, remembers the Jets Jets fest. Um, you know,
before the game we would go there. He would kind
of go and uh, you know, do all the activities
(18:10):
before the game. And he sat in regular seats when
we were at the Jets. So he's the tougher one.
So before I ask you my last question, I have
to ask you what would you tell people when they
ask you the question of what aspect about your job
would surprise people the most? Because while you're going, going, going,
(18:33):
and everyone assumes, okay, it's all about football all the time.
Is there a part of your job that maybe isn't
his glamorous or people don't even know that you really
take care of a lot of this one subject. Is
there any surprises that come along with your job every day?
I mean, you know, I laughed where I was two
(18:55):
two or three years ago. I was in Kansas City.
We had a postseason game, and you know, the benches
weren't getting cleared off enough and I was there with
one of my one of the people I work with,
another female, and we're out there and we've got snow
and everything, you know, on the benches and nobody's clearing
it off, and we're you know, like, okay, let's go,
and we just go. We're you know, soaking wet neck
(19:16):
to foot, like just you know, stuff has to get done.
I think I think it's just more about making sure
in this business it really is about pitching in we
talked about teamwork all the time. Uh. There are tasks
every day, big and small that we do. Um. And
I think that's really what makes it great because I
think that most of the people in this business understand that. Uh,
(19:36):
and anyway that you can contribute to the team's overall success,
whether you're at a club or at UM at the
league office. Uh, it really is about you know, there's
a lot of things that are probably less glamorous than
more glamorous. Yeah. I feel like that's an aspect that
people sometimes forget because they think NFL. They think football.
Oh man, you just get to watch football all the time.
(19:58):
That's the life. I wish that was my job. And
there's so much more that goes into it behind the scenes,
of course. But before I let you go, I have
to ask you. And I know part of your heart
lays in Cleveland. Part of your heart lays in Miami.
But the Jets, the two Jets who I feel as
though I haven't been a surprise to anyone in the
building because we've kind of seen that team build throughout
(20:19):
the off season and we've watched them through training camp.
But a little bit of a shock to people outside
the building. What have you thought of their performance? And
just the competitive nature of not only the a f
C East, but just the NFL this year, it seems
like each game is just crazier than the next each week.
It's incredible, it really is. I mean and obviously growing
(20:41):
up in New York and Weather that's the Jets of
a giant. Still also a fan of both, but um,
you know, being at the Jets for fifteen plus years,
like I said, I have a lot of history. They're uh,
you know, super excited for the people at the organization,
including you know, starting with Woody Johnson and Chris Johnson
and um, you know, knowing all the time, time, effort
and resources that they put into the team, I think
(21:03):
it's just awesome for you know, for New York fans
that you know, they're getting the type of football that
they want and expect, and uh and I think that
you know, just the NFL overall, it's it's amazing on
a week to week basis. The parody and the competitiveness
amongst all of the teams that makes it so exciting.
It really does. It has been nothing short of exciting.
(21:25):
But don thank you so much for sharing your entire career.
It's been an honor to get to talk to you
for as long as we've gotten today. But seriously, thank
you so much. We appreciate it, and thanks so much
for the time. Thanks have a great day. Thanks so
much for listening to another episode of New Yorker. Make
sure you rate, review, like, and subscribe on the I
(21:46):
Heart radio app or wherever you listen to your podcast.
That's all from us this week, and we will see
you soon on the next New Yorker.
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