Sashi Brown President, Baltimore Ravens

Sashi Brown, only the second Black team president in NFL history, has had an eventful first year since succeeding Dick Cass in April.

On the field, the Ravens and sidelined quarterback Lamar Jackson came up short in the playoffs, losing 24-17 to the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-card round.

Off the field, where Brown oversees all business areas of the organization, including finances, nonfootball personnel and operations, the Ravens in early January received final approval after negotiations with the Maryland Stadium Authority to extend their lease of M&T Bank Stadium for 15 more seasons, through 2037, and potentially through the 2047 season.

“We want to make sure that we continue to be that beacon for the community and beyond,” Brown said in an interview after the board’s vote.

“What we do on the field also invests off the field, which we’ve done — tens of millions of dollars invested in the greater Baltimore community. So I think that’s what the community is getting. It’s incredibly important and vital for the Ravens.”

With a new lease in place the Ravens plan to use $600 million to renovate their stadium, and they’re considering digging out the rest of its lowest level. The ambitious project would open opportunities to indulge spectators’ desire to see and hear the game from the players’ perspective rather than the bird’s-eye level of a soaring punt.

“We are looking at all those types of products, but the theme, essentially, is how to get people closer to the live action,” Brown said.

Brown came to Baltimore after serving as president of Monumental Basketball, an umbrella organization that includes such Ted Leonsis-owned holdings as the Washington Wizards. He also was an executive in football and business operations for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns.

Brown said at his introductory news conference in March that replacing Cass, who recommended Brown for his first NFL job, left him with “big shoes” to fill.

“It places a lot of responsibility on you,” he said. “Dick has just been such a comprehensively good leader, and he’s focused on the right things. He’s led through crises. …

“He’s just been a model; he’s been great that way. And then I look and say, ‘Oh, damn. Now it’s on me.’ And so, from my perspective, I really take it seriously, in terms of the responsibility that … you take that baton, and you know it’s coming at a good pace, to use a relay and track-and-field analogy. And I think I’m up to the challenge.”

— Jonas Shaffer