The Oakland Raiders have undergone a number of changes on the field and in the front office over the past few years and that trend continued over the weekend as CEO and high ranking executive Amy Trask resigned from her position from the team.
The news was reported by ESPN and USA Today over the weekend and detailed Trask's decision on Saturday, which came after 25 seasons with the franchise, one of the most in the league. The resignation of Trask also marks the stepping down of the highest ranking woman in an NFL front office as well as one of the highest ranking female executives in all American professional sports in general. During her time with the franchise she worked for the team in Los Angeles and in Oakland and rose to the title of CEO in 1997.
Trask was one of the closest advisors to late Raiders owner Al Davis and she was considered an important member of the team's inner circle of management. Trask mentioned that she promised Davis to remain with the team during its time of transition after his death and after helping install Reggie McKenzie as general manager, who has helped change up the roster and getting rid of bad contracts. Mark Davis now runs the team after his father died and he decided to hire McKenzie to help turnover the roster, which included the release of high draft picks like Michael Huff and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
The Raiders are currently in a big period of transition with head coach Dennis Allen, but after a solid draft and free agent period the team is trending in the right direction. The departure of Trask is yet another move away from the past and Davis's previous regime, as many of the coaches, players, scouts and executives are now gone and others have been installed. According to ESPN, Trask was most recently focused on the stadium situation for the Raiders, which could be an issue as the Coliseum is old and the team is in its final year of its lease. The 49ers are building a new billion dollar stadium in Santa Clara and the Raiders are the next team likely to build a stadium among the California professional teams.
The Raiders moved down and selected DJ Hayden with their first round pick and also signed names like Tracy Porter, Mike Jenkins, Nick Roach and Kevin Burnett as free agents. The team lost Philip Wheeler and Desmond Bryant this season and also could be looking for another punter after Shane Lechler left for the Houston Texans in the offseason.
"Earlier today, I informed Mark Davis of my decision to leave the Raiders," she said in an email statement. "Having honored a commitment that I made to effectuate a smooth transition and transfer of control, I no longer wish to remain with the organization. For over a quarter of a century, it was my honor and my privilege to work for the Raiders. I will forever appreciate the opportunity afforded me by Al Davis."