Tennessee Titans president and CEO Burke Nihill said team controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk is “grieving” and “sorry” amid the team’s long losing stretch, during an interview with WKRN-TV sports director Cory Curtis.
Nihill has declined multiple interview and statement requests from The Tennessean amid the Titans’ 0-5 start, which is part of a 6-33 stretch that dates back to 2023.
Curtis, who works as the Titans preseason sideline reporter, asked why Strunk isn’t speaking directly on the topic.
“Amy is a fan first and foremost. As a little girl, she was following this team and the players were her heroes,” Nihill said. “And the same is true today. Some of my favorite moments are coming around the corner and seeing her hugging (All-Pro defensive tackle) Jeffery Simmons and just expressing her appreciation for Jeffery as a person and as a player and the passion he plays with.
“She loves this team. She’s passionate about this team. And she’s feeling just great disappointment. She’s feeling a lot of grief knowing that it’s not fun for anybody. It’s not fun for her to be in this stretch of losing. And she desperately wants that to turn around and is doing everything she can to support turning it around. But also knowing that it’s not just that her team that she’s grown up loving is losing and just for herself. She understands that we all have a responsibility to our fans to do better. And, you know, she’s sorry that we’re not doing better."
Nihill continued: “And I promise you, (Adams Strunk) is doing everything she can and everyone who punches in a key code every Monday to refocus and try to do better the next week and for the long term. She’s sorry. She’s disappointed. She’s grieving. She desperately wants the turnaround, and it’s not fun for her. It’s not for anybody.”
Nihill, who has been empowered to speak on behalf of Adams Strunk, has faced increased criticism amid the winless start, specifically after he fired three people from his front office in early October. Radio host Jared Stillman, whose credential the Titans pulled before the season, was the reporter who broke the news.
The unrest was evident after the Titans fell to 0-5 for the first time since 2009 following a 26-3 loss to the Houston Texans on Oct. 11. Fans, some of whom showed up with paper bags on their heads, booed in the second half and as the game went final.
Nihill was a central figure in bringing the 2030 Super Bowl to the Titans’ $2.2 billion Nissan Stadium, which is set to open in 2027. He was also a driving force behind construction of the new stadium.
There have been gripes that Nihill became preoccupied with the stadium and Super Bowl initiatives instead of the on-field product.
Curtis asked Nihill what has been the biggest challenge to return the team to relevancy.
“The primary thing I’d like to say, it has been a challenging time. It’s obvious to us, we know we’ve been letting our fans down,” Nihill said. “It hurts, and we’re fans first and also carry the grief knowing we owe (fans) more than what we’ve been offering in terms of team performance. We did have a stretch of great team performance there for a while, but it hasn’t been nearly good enough for a long time, and that includes this season.”
What Titans CEO said about VP firings, rebrand leader Erin Swartz
Nihill was asked specifically about the firing of Erin Swartz, who was part of the front-office restructure. Swartz recently completed leading the team’s rebrand, which included new uniforms that removed the old insignia.
“There’s a separate rhythm between our football organization and our business organization,” Nihill said, comparing the roughly 80 employees the Titans had in 1999 and 150 employees in 2016, to the more than 400 they have now.
“We are building a new stadium,” Nihill continued, “and we, like many businesses, are needing to adapt to just meet the moments that we have in front of us.”
What Tennessee Titans CEO Burke Nihill said about Cam Ward, coach Robert Saleh
Nihill was asked if the team is still fully invested in quarterback Cam Ward, whom the Titans selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 draft but has struggled into his second season.
Ward is 3-19 as Tennessee’s starter and currently ranks 26th in the league in passer rating (77.2), 24th in passing yards (896) and is tied for 27th in passing touchdowns (3).
"Listen, in terms of the organization, (general manager) Mike Borgonzi) is going to be the voice of the football team and Robert Saleh will support him in that. I’m here to answer any questions you have on the business side, but what I’d tell you is this: There is a real sense of stability on the football side that I feel deeply, and I believe is as real as could be," Nihill said. "Mike Borgonzi has a plan and he has executed on that plan, and is continuing to do so. Robert Saleh, you just feel the sense of stability he brings and credibility he brings to coaching the football team and getting them better to play, and that includes investing in Cam Ward, absolutely."
Tyler Palmateer covers the Tennessee Titans for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform,@tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans CEO Burke Nihill: Amy Adams Strunk is 'sorry' about mounting losses