This whole Eliot Wolf situation has been simmering in the background as the Green Bay Packers prepare to face the New York Giants. The current state of affairs — that director of football operations Eliot Wolf was allowed to interview for the 49ers general manger opening — came as a surprise. It was a surprise because Wolf was not allowed to interview for the same position in Detroit last year.
Even though it would have been a promotion, the situation is simple. The Lions requested permission to interview Wolf while the Packers’ season was still in progress. The Packers, thusly, did not have to grant permission and Ted Thompson chose not to. The Lions found someone else and moved on.
The situation was the same with the 49ers’ request this year. So why did the Packers grant permission this time around?
Apparently because the Wolfs — both Eliot and his father, Ron — were angry he was denied permission the previous year.
Friends of Wolf said he was disappointed not having the chance to speak with the Lions about a job for which sources said he was the frontrunner.
Moreover, those same people said Ron Wolf, the Packers’ retired GM and a mentor to Thompson, wasn’t pleased at all.
Obviously, it’s not the best idea to continually anger the people who work for you. Blocking your employees’ ascendence doesn’t do much for the working environment either.
With Thompson, it’s a unique situation. He was brought up under Ron Wolf and you’d expect they’re friends or, at the very least, share a mutual respect. So it must have been pretty awkward when Thompson denied the Lions’ request.
Now, of course, the Packers stand to lose Wolf. The good news is, there are plenty of good candidates to replace Thompson if Wolf does leave.
Did Ron Wolf ever trade a player to another team inside the division, or help them by letting them take one of your personnel without putting up barriers? Under no circumstances do you help or assist a team in your own division unless you cannot stop it, or don’t care. Most GMs do not want to deal with teams in the same conference let alone the same division. TT may have some problems but I sure don’t blame him for doing what any GM would do including Ron Wolf. TT made the correct move in not assisting a division foe!
What happens when you hire dysfunctional people. You have dysfunction.
What happens when you hire a President who says he leaves the General Manager alone, says he’s hands off and doesn’t 2nd guess him? Besides having a President who’s blatantly derelict in his duties. You have a General Manager who doesn’t have a boss, and therefore feels he’s unaccountable and untouchable.
The only question now is, will Thompson man up and speak publicly about this, or continue to hide in his office until the draft.
I said it once, i said it a hundred times…..I can’t wait for the day these 3 stooges are boarding a plane with a 1 way ticket.
I’d be glad to drive them to the airport.