Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn has been added to the NFL’s Competition Committee.
It is the job of the Competition Committee to review league wide issues that include officiating, roster regulations, player protection and the rule book. On a yearly basis, they can recommend rule changes for league owners to review and vote on.
Katie Blackburn is the daughter of owner Mike Brown and granddaughter of co-founder Paul Brown. She has been a major part of the Bengals front office since 1991, taking on a number of tasks that included contract negotiations and salary cap management. In 2001, she took on the title of Executive Vice President, one she still holds to this day.
Blackburn becomes the fourth member of the Bengals organization to be a member of the competition committee. She is preceded by Paul Brown, Mike Brown, and former head coach, Marvin Lewis. Also of note is that she is the first woman to be included on the committee.
With the addition of Blackburn, the Competition Committee currently consists of 10 members:
- Katie Blackburn – Bengals
- Mike Tomlin – Steelers
- Ron Rivera – Washington
- Rich McKay (Chairman) – Falcons
- Chris Grier – Dolphins
- Stephen Jones – Cowboys
- Mike Vrabel – Titans
- John Mara – Giants
- Frank Reich – Colts
- Ozzie Newsome – Ravens