The Green Bay Packers have appointed one of the most valued assets as their new general counsel, succeeding top official, who has been promoted to president and CEO.
He transitions to Green Bay from the Arizona Cardinals, where he previously served in the same role. With nearly two decades of legal experience, he will provide strategic counsel to executives and football personnel while overseeing key legal areas, including litigation, employment matters, football operations, and corporate law.
Based in Wisconsin, the Packers have a storied history, having secured four Super Bowl titles. Their championships include a victory in the inaugural Super Bowl in 1966, with their most recent triumph coming in 2010.
The team plays its home games at Lambeau Field, a historic stadium with a capacity of over 80,000, making it the second-largest venue in the NFL.
Policy stated, “[Manara] brings extensive experience at both the league and team levels, which will be invaluable to the Packers and our overall operations. We look forward to his leadership as a key member of our senior staff.”
Manara joins the Packers after nearly two years with the Arizona Cardinals, where he initially served as special counsel in 2023 before becoming general counsel. Prior to that, he spent a year in the same role with the Las Vegas Raiders. His career also includes a 13-year tenure as vice president of labor relations and policy at the NFL. He began his legal career in private practice as an associate in the labor and employment department at Proskauer Rose.
During his time with the NFL, Manara played a crucial role in managing and enforcing the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association. Policy originally joined the Packers in 2012 as general counsel before expanding his role to include chief operating officer duties in 2018.
Elsewhere in the U.S. sports legal landscape, Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles appointed Kamaal Jones as chief legal officer and general counsel in January, bringing him in from Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the NHL’s Washington Capitals.
Last April, the Chicago Bears, a divisional rival of the Packers, hired Krista Whitaker as chief legal officer from the NBA’s Miami Heat.
More recently, in November 2023, the Buffalo Bills named Terry Gilbride as CLO following the departure of former general counsel Kathryn D’Angelo the previous month.