In 1999, Dan Snyder became the owner of the Washington Commanders following the death of the legendary Jack Kent Cooke. And in seemingly every step of the way in the quarter-century since, Snyder appeared to be steadfast in undoing all of that goodwill.
Finally, it looks like someone else will get to rebuild the image of one of the NFL’s most popular teams. At the same time, one of its biggest weasels should mercifully fade away from a game he never deserved.
On Thursday, it was reported that Snyder had agreed in principle to sell the Commanders for $6 billion to Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris. Nothing is set in stone. Nothing is signed. Nothing is approved (as is protocol) by the NFL owners.
But this entire process now seems elementary, an outright inevitability many have waited a long time for.
After running the Commanders into the ground over the entirety of the 21st century; after presiding over shameful scandals, jaw-dropping lawsuits and shameless vanity projects; after neglecting his players’ basic needs as professional athletes; after awkwardly “honoring” team legends — the curtains are coming down on Snyder’s tenure as Washington’s owner.
Good riddance. Good riddance. Good riddance.
At its best, Snyder’s time as Commanders owner could be considered an unrelenting blight on the league and the sport of football as a whole. At its worst, it just might be one of the disgraceful individual team eras in American professional sports history.
There is no in-between. There is no grey area.
In 24 seasons, the Commanders won four division titles. They qualified for the postseason six times. They won a whopping two games in the playoffs. Snyder cycled through more head coaches (10) in 24 years than in the previous almost half-century combined. Curly Lambeau — at the turn of the nuclear family era in the 1950s — eat your heart out.
When factoring in the more important off-field misconduct and dysfunction sowed by a manipulative liar, any of the NFL’s other sad-sack franchises simply pale in failed comparison to Snyder’s Commanders. Snyder’s bunch set the standard for embarrassment and what it means to take billions of dollars and simply waste them because you can.
In actuality, there is no justifiable comparison. Snyder’s Commanders were/are the bottom of the barrel.
It’s hard to see Snyder earning a check of $6 billion as a “punishment” after the toil he inflicted on so many people on and off the football field. But, at the very least, it will keep him away from the game. It will drive him into relative obscurity where he belongs. Barring another scandal, of course.
Dan Snyder took the Commanders over and systematically tore them to pieces. He stepped on so many well-meaning people to do it.
He will not be missed in the NFL.
Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.
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