He's the only person on the board who knows the slightest thing about football, so he's the de facto leader of everything to do with it. It wouldn't be so bad, because he was in charge of most football operations under Cortese, but at least Cortese could keep the reins on him while acting as the main face for the players. There are reports out there that the players don't like Les Reed, so having Cortese gone as the buffer isn't great for morale.