Grissom ‘fits seat’ as new president
New Texans team president Greg Grissom has one of the most difficult jobs in the organization.
In March, he was promoted to replace his friend and mentor, Jamey Rootes, who did an outstanding job as president before resigning. Like Rootes, it’s up to Grissom to oversee the business side of the operation and create revenue streams.
“I got the opportunity to work for Jamey for almost 20 years,” Grissom said Monday before the team’s annual charity golf tournament to raise money for the Houston Texans Foundation. “Jamey was a phenomenal mentor to me. I can’t thank him enough for the opportunities he’s helped me grow into.
“What did I learn? I think it’s countless, too much to really measure. He taught me about doing the right thing, treating people the right way and investing back in our team and our teammates that work with us every day. Then, obviously, our community as a whole.”
The McNair family interviewed other candidates for Rootes’ job, but Grissom always was the favorite because he has been with the organization since its inaugural season of 2002 and had worked his way into being Rootes’ right-hand man.
“Greg has stepped into the role, and he fits the seat,” chairman and CEO Cal McNair said. “His focus has been revenue generation. He’s really good at that. He’s a good leader and a good person to work with.”
The Texans are coming off a 4-12 season. They have a new general manager and head coach in Nick Caserio and David Culley. Grissom and others on the business side have been working to sell out every game at NRG Stadium as they did every season until 2020 when the pandemic caused the NFL to reduce ticket sales.
Unless they hear differently from the league, they’re operating with a plan to have capacity crowds at NRG Stadium.
“That’s our hope,” Grissom said. “We’re working with that mindset, and the NFL’s working with that mindset in all the venues. We feel like by the time we get to August that we’ll be in a position to do that. If, for some reason, we aren’t and there’s a reason not to, we’ll adjust our plan, just like we did last year.
“A lot of exciting things are happening. We’re looking forward to how we can grow and get better. Houston’s a football town. We’re working through the process. People are interested in the team. They’re excited. Season tickets, our corporate partners, our marketing team — everybody’s having a great time. We’re making a lot of progress.”