Washington
Washington Commanders hire Detroit Lions longtime key executive Lance Newmark
Former Detroit Lion Tahir Whitehead and Downtown Boxing Gym founder Khali Sweeney sit down with Dave Birkett
Dave Birkett talks Detroit Lions with a former player and the Detroit Lions’ 2023 Inspire Changemaker honoree.
They went elsewhere for their new head coach, but the Washington Commanders are raiding the Detroit Lions for help for their front office.
The Commanders hired Lions senior director of player personnel Lance Newmark as their new assistant general manager on Wednesday.
“I am thrilled to welcome Lance Newmark to the Washington Commanders,” Commanders general manager Adam Peters said in a statement released by the team. “Lance is someone that I have known and respected in the scouting community my entire career. He is a highly respected talent evaluator and a great leader who will fit perfectly into what we’re building here in Washington.”
Newmark was one of the longest-tenured members of the Lions organization, joining the club’s scouting staff in 1999 and serving a variety of roles the past 25 years.
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As senior director of player personnel, he oversaw day-to-day operations of the Lions’ football information and football technology departments and had a role in both pro and college scouting.
The Commanders interviewed Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for their head coaching job before hiring Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Glenn was considered a finalist for the job, while Johnson withdrew his name from the running before his second interview. Before withdrawing from consideration, Johnson was considered a frontrunner for the job.
Newmark, who previously served as director of player personnel (2016-21) and director of college scouting (2015-16) for the Lions, interviewed for the Lions’ GM job when they hired Brad Holmes in 2021.
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He’s the second high-ranking Lions executive to leave for an assistant GM post in the past two years. Last January, the Arizona Cardinals hired former Lions director of college scouting Dave Sears as their assistant GM.
“I want to thank Brad Holmes and the Lions organization for being first class in working with us on the process of bringing Lance to the DMV,” Peters said in his statement. “Lance is a phenomenal person, and he will immediately elevate our overall personnel function here at the Commanders. It is my absolute pleasure to welcome Lance and his family to Washington.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
Washington
Report: Arizona football to hire Washington’s Aaron Knotts as general manager
Arizona is closing in on its next general manager.
The UA is set to hire Aaron Knotts as GM, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Knotts has spent the last 12 years at Washington, where he most recently served as Director of Internal Operations and Football Strategy. Knotts previously worked as Chief of Staff and Associate Athletic Director at UW.
As general manager, Knotts will be tasked with managing Arizona’s roster through player retention, the transfer portal and high school recruiting.
Arizona’s front office is undergoing a shakeup after former GM Gaizka Crowley left for the same position at Arkansas. Crowley and Director of Scouting Fletcher Kelly played a big role in building Arizona’s roster in the first two years under Brent Brennan. Kelly is expected to follow Crowley to Arkansas, according to Jason Scheer of Wildcat Authority.
Knotts began his coaching career as a tight ends coach at Division III Centre College (Ky.) before joining Chris Petersen’s staff at UW in the fall of 2014. Prior to working in operations and administration, Knotts served in various recruiting and personnel roles at UW.
Knotts was promoted to Associate Athletic Director/Chief of Staff in 2024. In his role as Associate Athletic Director, Knotts part of a three-person search committee for UW’s head football coach in 2024, which resulted in the Huskies hiring Jedd Fisch from Arizona.
Now Knotts in departing Fisch’s UW program to run Arizona’s front office.
Washington
Washington Capitals 2025-26 W Magazine Now Available | Washington Capitals
Arlington, Va. – W Magazine, a lifestyle publication produced by the Washington Capitals, is now available for purchase online at www.washcaps.com/wmagazine and at the Team Store at Capital One Arena and at the Team Store at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. The fan-favorite magazine, which features content surrounding every Capitals player along with hundreds of personal, never-before-seen family photos, is available for $8 plus shipping. In addition, season ticket members will receive a complimentary issue, with copies for season ticket members available at the Planholder Hub on the 100-level concourse during Capitals home games.
The cover story, written by Capitals senior writer Mike Vogel, goes in-depth with forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. Vogel speaks with Dubois, his teammates and family members for an extensive feature on the phone call that changed Dubois’ life and shaped his future with the Capitals franchise. Spanning more than 200 pages, W offers exclusive photography of Capitals players and their families, along with lifestyle content and interviews with every member of the 2025-26 roster. Highlights include:
- John Carlson on fishing in Maryland with his sons
- Brandon Duhaime on spearfishing and his related YouTube channel
- Ryan Leonard on moving to D.C. and living with the Dubois family
- Charlie Lindgren on his first offseason as a dad
- Alex Ovechkin on celebrating back home after becoming the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer
- Logan Thompson on his love of dogs
- Trevor van Riemsdyk on pop-a-shot and pickleball
The magazine also features an in-depth look at the Capital One Arena transformation project, including exclusive photos, insights into future phases and Capitals player reactions to the new Capitals locker room complex. A special interview with Monumental Sports Network’s Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin reflects on the historic 50th anniversary season, while a day-in-the-life piece with Caps Radio’s John Walton and Katie Florio brings readers behind-the-scenes of a home game radio broadcast.
Additional features include a look at a regular day for former Capitals service dog in training Biscuit – now a facility dog at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center – and a photographic recap of Alex Ovechkin’s historic 2024-25 season. A new “Beyond the Boards” section spotlights community stories, while the fan-favorite “Short Shifts” section returns with Capitals players sharing thoughts on topics such as the best singer on the team, funniest teammate, personal goals beyond hockey, what everyone should try at least once, their ideal entrance theme song and more.
The magazine also profiles members of the Capitals Black Hockey Committee and introduces fans to the team driving the organization’s youth hockey initiatives.
W design services were provided by Matt Ryan. Player photography was provided by Greg Powers with assistance from Damon Banks. The cover featuring Pierre-Luc Dubois was photographed on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., with the assistance of captains and crew from City Cruises. Players were photographed for the publication at Origin in Arlington, Va.
Washington
Ginger’s Journey: Walking from Washington State to Washington, D.C.
Imagine setting out, on foot, for a journey not knowing how long it would take. Now imagine doing it with two animals as traveling partners from Washington State to Washington, D.C.
“Now I’ve started this leg of the journey in Morton, Washington where I was spiritually requested to go to Washington, D.C. and sing the song ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon on the Capitol steps,” says Jacob Holiday.
Jacob Holiday is on his way across America so he can sing a song he says signifies peace in the hopes, he says, of ending violence everywhere.
“I want so much peace. Cops would no longer carry firearms. We’re going to send the militaries of every country, I don’t care which one you’re talking about but every country, home to go to sleep. I don’t care what they do. But I want all this violence, everything, all this violence to stop.”
He has two wagons and his traveling companions are a dog and a goat. Holiday started in Washington State in July and he’s not worried about how long his hike across America will take.
His multi-state trek has seen him encounter a lot along the way, including a run-in with a bear.
He carries food for himself and his dog and his goat on carts that he says weigh a couple hundred pounds. Besides necessities, Holiday has one thing he’d greatly appreciate receive being able to buy as he continues his mission.
Holiday says he knows his mission isn’t an easy one, and he uses it as a metaphor for life as a whole.
We caught up with Holiday in the early part of November on a 70-degree day in Cambridge, Nebraska then spoke to him again a few days later in the rain as he headed east on Highways 6 and 34, so no telling how far he’s gotten now.
After we met with Holiday, we did notify the local sheriff to perform a welfare check, but we’re told Holiday wanted to continue his walk with his Capitol Steps goal still ahead of him. We also offered him food for himself and his animals, which he declined saying he had enough food on his carts.
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