Burgundy & Gold Reaction: Dan Snyder’s Disfavor with Fans

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November 17, 2021

by David Earl

Fan Fatigue for Dan Snyder Shows

For a very long time, the atmosphere around this team has been dismal and void of any optimism no matter what changes have been made. While there have been some flashes of hope, such as Joe Gibbs’ second coaching stint producing 2 playoff seasons in 4 years anchored by a rising star in Sean Taylor, or RGIII‘s electrifying rookie campaign in 2012 that also produced a playoff appearance, the fans have experienced the darkest of days far too much under Dan Snyder’s ownership. In his 2 plus decades owning this team, Washington has only had 5 playoff appearances, with just a single win in 2005 under Joe Gibbs, which is a far cry to where this organization was under Jack Kent Cooke’s ownership. During Gibbs’ first stint, the organization was what many felt was the gold standard, winning 3 of 4 Super Bowls while being relevant championship contenders throughout the 1980s. Before I start reliving my memories growing up let’s refocus on the topic at hand, which is Dan Snyder and why he’s become enemy #1 among the fan base.

The sentiment shared above as not only grown exponentially over the years, but you see this evident at nearly every home game attendance. While many players have come and gone, many of them have expressd displeasure in the fans’ lack of support. The fans are continuously burdened by the embarrassment this organization has become over these last 2 decades. In fact, the disingenuous idea from the players declaring, “If you don’t support us now don’t come back when we are winning!” just drives away the loyal and beat up fans even more because they are a mere blip on the radar within this organization. Meanwhile we, the fans, continue to carry the burden of this floundering organization going forward. Yet, even under some of the most adverse conditions and amid scandals that leave a black shroud over this once-proud organization, the core fans still share a passion for this team. Now, with the emails recently released that resulted in Jon Gruden’s resignation, just how long can Dan Snyder weather the current landslide of events over the last year?

Overwhelming Call for Change

I know this poll shows maybe .001% of this fan base but let’s also be real honest here: this sentiment has been shared and growing every year.  I don’t want this to be a personal attack against Dan himself but, when the core of this fanbase eats breathes, and sleeps Washington football every Sunday the emotions truly take over without regard to anyone’s (especially Dan’s) emotional state, the attacks continue to bombard this organization. So when an announced retirement of Sean Taylor’s number just days before the game and within a week after the email scandal broke, the fanbase’s negative reaction was understandable. The narrative of “using Sean’s great name” to steer away from this new scandal is not only warranted but very well could be the final tipping point for the fans to want Dan forced. Yes Jason Wright, unfortunately, received the brunt of this pushback but understand that it is Dan Snyder the fans blame at the very core. The perception that Snyder used Sean Taylor’s name to keep himself from accepting accountability and attempting to push this under the rug may not be fair but is absolutely warranted.

Final Disposition or Judgement (if you will)

Saying this fan base is at its wits end has truly become cliche, but to continue coming back year after year is also a testament to what we are as fans. Regardless of player ridicule, some media pushback, and even the rare coach’s criticism of the fanbase’s cynical views towards the organization, we continue to give support despite the abuse over the years. Steve Thomas put it well and rings true with many fans in his “The Curse of the Burgundy and Gold” colunn when he stated that he’s “sick and tired of disaster after disaster from this franchise” yet “I’m not ready to jump ship yet and God help me!” His rant in that column does a great job truly diving deep into what I feel is on the minds of us core fans and how truly hopeless it feels while Dan continues to own this team. With that said is it possible Dan and Tanya Snyder can right the ship? In my opinion yes, but ONLY if he leans on Ron Rivera, Jason Wright, Julie Donaldson, and the other recent additions to this organization. Like what some say as they push for Dan to be forced, be careful of what you wish for. Sometimes it’s better the be married to the Devil you know rather than the Devil you don’t. Then again could it truly get any worse???

Small Dan Snyder Timeline Overview

Football Decisions

  1. July 24, 1999: Bought the team and fired Charley Casserly, who would go on to win Sporting News executive of the year, and hired (then rehired) Vinny Cerrato, having poor results.
  2. 2002: Fired Marty Schottenheimer after his first season ends 8-3 in his final 11 games, which also saw the departure of a now top GM, John Schneider.
  3. Multiple free agency contracts overpaying players beyond their prime showing his tendency toward irrationality in spending cap dollars. This created a financial hell that took years to overcome.
  4. 2002: Hired Steve Spurrier who later described the “lousy job” he did.
  5. 2008: Hired Jim Zorn as offensive coordinator before hiring a head coach only to then be forced to promote him to head coach.
  6. 2010: Hired Bruce Allen (refer to the article The Collective Sins of Bruce Allen).
  7. 2013: Empowered RGIII, creating strife between player and head coach Mike Shanahan
  8. 2021: Hastily retired the number of franchise legend Sean Taylor on 4 days’ notice resulting in an utter desecration of his memory in many fans’ eyes.

Business Decisions that affected fans

  1. 1999: Added the PG County Entertainment Tax to the invoice outside of the ticket price marking the biggest ticket price hike in team history.
  2. July 2000: Washington becomes the first team in the NFL to charge fans to attend camp practices, $10 for admission and $10 for parking.
  3. 2005: Tells fans that Washington will only accept the Redskins Extra Points MasterCard for season ticket payments for the 2005 season but withdrew the demand following a threatened ticketholder revolt.
  4. 2008: Filed over 120 lawsuits against season-ticket holders who were forced to default on their 10 year, $5,000 agreements after being hit hard by a two-year recession. Per The Washington Post, they were sued for a total of $3.6 million with Dan awarded $2 million in judgment
  5. 2009: Banned signs at FedEx Field that are critical of his ownership.
  6. 2014: Sold fans expired beer.

Treatment of Employees

  1. 1999: As reported by Mike Nolan, he twice left vanilla ice cream to thaw in former defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s office to let him know he didn’t like his coaching. The 2nd delivery consisted of “three giant canisters of melting 31 Flavors ice cream” and a note that said, “I do not like vanilla.”
  2. 2008: Faced a lawsuit from a group of FedEx Field ticket office employees who weren’t being paid for extra hours. As he argued that the team ticket office wasn’t covered by standard overtime laws, citing a 1932 exemption for “amusement and recreation employees” in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act he ended up settling
  3. James Rubin, a Montgomery County attorney who represented the ticket sellers, says that he was shocked to learn during the case that Snyder now requires all employees to sign a document waiving their right to sue him “as a condition of employment.”
  4. Employees were not allowed to go to the bathroom when he was present and wandering the building.

Scandals

  1. 2013: During an offseason trip to Costa Rica, the team allegedly forced its cheerleaders to be escorts and get naked in front of its patrons, according to a New York Times investigation.
  2. July 16, 2020: A Washington Post investigative report details the toxicity of the organization, from which 15 women accuse team employees of sexual harassment.
  3. August 26, 2020: The Post follows up its July report with another piece alleging more workplace harassment throughout his tenure. 25 more women come forward to the Post, raising the total number of accusers to 42. Among the claims is that Larry Michaels ordered the team’s video department to produce an outtake video of cheerleaders’ private parts that were filmed during the shooting of the squad’s swimsuit calendar in 2008, to the backdrop of his favorite music.
  4. Dec. 22, 2020: It was revealed in filed court records that he paid a former female employee a $1.6 million sexual misconduct settlement in 2009.
  5. Oct.13, 2021: Offered hush money to accusers in a desperate attempt to silence them amid growing pressure.
  6. Oct. 10, 2021: The DEA raids the team’s facility as part of a criminal probe. Trainer Ryan Vermillion is placed on leave. Citing safety, the NFL Players Association asks for more info. Claims say the raid is “unrelated to the club.” Days later another team trainer is placed on leave.
  7. 2019: Star LT Trent Williams is told he has cancer that is “far more advanced” than originally thought and that had been growing for 6 years. The team told him it was just a cyst and that he had nothing to worry about. “I almost lost my life,” Williams said. Former player Brandon Noble speaks to a similar issue.