Fenway Sports Group (FSG) chief John W. Henry is dealing with major crises both stateside and across the pond as the Red Sox and Liverpool enter major transition periods
01:52, 02 Jun 2026
John W. Henry looks on from the baseball diamond
John W. Henry has reportedly expressed concern about the direction the Red Sox are heading(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool owner and Fenway Sports Group (FSG) chief John W. Henry is facing challenges on both sides of the Atlantic as the Reds and Red Sox undergo significant transitions.
On Saturday, Liverpool sent shockwaves throughout the Premier League upon showing Arne Slot the door following an underwhelming second season in charge, during which his squad finished trophyless and barely secured a spot in the Champions League. It hasn’t taken long for the Reds to hone in on the Dutchman’s potential replacement, with Andoni Iraola emerging as the favorite to assume the vacant managerial position amid formal talks.
Across the pond, Henry’s other franchise isn’t exactly faring much better. The Red Sox — who fired manager Alex Cora and five coaches back in April — currently find themselves in the basement of the AL East with a 25-33 record, trailing the first-place Tampa Bay Rays by 12 games entering play Monday.
Speaking to The Associated Press, Red Sox legend David Ortiz conceded that Henry is “concerned” about the direction of his MLB club. "He's worried. We had a conversation,” the Hall of Famer said during his celebrity golf tournament.
“I can see. I've known John a long time, him and the whole team — him and [chairman] Tom Werner, the whole group, they're working on figuring things out to get this ride better.
"He knows the direction of this team and he's worried about the team's situation more than what people think he is.”
Since purchasing the Red Sox in February 2002, Henry has regularly attempted to stay out of the limelight while rarely addressing Boston’s performance with fans or the media.
John W. Henry looks on from the pitch
Henry purchased the Red Sox back in 2002(Image: Getty Images)
Behind the scenes, however, Ortiz asserted that the 76-year-old cares deeply about the state of his teams. "The thing is, that you see John, and John is someone that he manages his emotions really well," he said.
"He's very professional at everything he does. Sometimes, for people, it's hard for them to understand that part of [him], but he's worried."
When asked directly if Henry also worries about the fans, Ortiz replied: "When you worry, you worry about everything in general. You worry about the team, you worry about the fans and you worry about how everything is moving around.
"I tell you, the boss is, he's working, he's working. He's working on putting the pieces that moving forward things get better around here."
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In an email sent to Sports Business Journal last month, Henry insisted that he uses fan backlash as motivation. “Fans get frustrated. The Sox looked terrible for (their) first 25 games,” he wrote.
"I remember a plane flying overhead when we (Liverpool) were beating Manchester United 7-0 that read ‘FSG OUT!’
“It doesn’t mean you ignore them, it means you work harder – you don’t settle for mediocrity. You have to win."