Dan Snyder Stripped of Ownership
Some people are just unfit to own a professional sports team. For years, football fans have known that Redskins owner Dan Snyder is one such person. Today, the NFL revealed that they too are aware this truism. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Snyder has been stripped of his ownership rights. The decision came days after TMZ released a tape of a drunken Snyder delivering a racist diatribe at a DC bar. The rant was unsurprisingly aimed at Native Americans. Until a sale is approved, a board of directors will operate as the owners of the team. Additionally, every player on the team will have their contract voided. In effect, this will make the new Washington NFL Team an expansion team. Other NFL teams will be free to sign the former Washington NFL Team members like any other free agents. The new “expansion team” will have to sign other free agents to fill the roster. [Below 70 overall.] This means that Pro Bowlers like Trent Williams, Ryan Kerrigan, DeAngelo Hall, Alfred Morris and DeSean Jackson are on the market.
Beyond being the advocate of an offensive name, Snyder has frankly run this team into the ground. He mortaged the team's future on Robert Griffin II by trading several first round picks to the Rams to get the Baylor signal caller. The products of the blockbuster? One division title and playoff loss in the same season. In that game, the poor turf quality at Landover Field caused RG3 to injure his knee, which would derail the rest of his career. Snyder's pride wouldn't allow the Redskins to pull the plug on him, which cost Mike Shanahan his job and has caused Jay Gruden to be viewed as a figurehead to Snyder's wishes. Poor free agent additions and team management throughout his tenure as owner has caused Washington to have a bleak outlook for the future.
The NFL is showing that racism will not be tolerated by stripping Snyder of his ownership. Frankly, it’s a decision that’s long overdue.