Initial indications from around the San Francisco 49ers posited that team president Parage Marathe was on board with his reassignment from his role as team president to a lesser position with the organization, but that may not be the actual story.
CEO Jed York, per sources cited by Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, reportedly called for the demotion. The reasoning for the demotion may be largely team performance-based, but there's also the notion out there that York blames Marathe for recent leaks to national reporters, including recent criticisms of QB Colin Kaepernick's work ethic.
York also reportedly blames Marathe for the sea of leaks that surfaced before the team mutually parted with former head coach Jim Harbaugh last offseason. Marathe is one of San Francisco's longest tenured employees, and was part of a so-called Power Trio with York and GM Trent Baalke. However, it appears that York is breaking up the Power Trio in hopes of recalibrating the 49ers as an operation and getting control of media access to the inner workings of the organization.
While Marathe was technically Trent Baalke's boss, Baalke actually reported directly to ownership. Everyone else reports to either Marathe or Baalke. That may be a sign of Baalke's job remaining secure, especially if Jed York decides to go with Al Guido as president. Guido is assumed to be taking over many of Marathe's responsibilities.
It's also entirely likely that the Yorks (Jed, John and Denise) are sensing fan unrest with the team floundering during a 3-8 start and felt it necessary to make a change in order to turn down the heat a notch or two. While there's no financial pressure on the 49ers considering their guaranteed $100 million profit from Levi's Stadium per year, it's essential to the marketing of the team to free agents, coaches, contracted players and fans for the York family to reassert control of the team and push it in the right direction.
Maraathe will shift his focus to the 49ers' outside interests, including Sacramento's Republic FC soccer team. Republic FC aims to join the MLS and has proposed a $226 million stadium in hopes of doing so.
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