President, XFL

In November 2021, Russ Brandon was named president of the XFL, where he will manage day-to-day operations of the league while directing strategic planning for business and football operations on both the league and team levels.

Brandon is perhaps best known for his 21-year tenure in the front office of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, where he held multiple positions, including chief executive officer. Since leaving the Bills in 2018, Brandon has worked as an adviser to RedBird Capital Partners, which joined entrepreneur Dany Garcia and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to buy the XFL out of bankruptcy in 2020.

Brandon began his career with the Rochester Red Wings in 1990, rising to co-general manager at the organization by the time he left in 1993. After a brief stint with a New York Yankees division called Sports Advertising Network, he joined the front office of the Florida Marlins and was there as part of the 1997 World Series championship team. Brandon joined the Bills in 1997, and was named director of non-football operations in 2006 alongside general manager Marv Levy. Brandon then assumed Levy’s responsibilities as de facto general manager after Levy retired. He was named President of the Bills on January 1, 2013.

Brandon, who left his roles with the Bills, Buffalo Sabres and Pegula Sports and Entertainment in 2018, also works as a consultant in the sport industry. He’s a graduate of St. John Fisher College, where he was a four-year letterman in both football and baseball. He was inducted into the St. John Fisher Sports Hall of Fame.