The Bombshell

[fansince62]

The fact this article made Page 1 is evidence things are changing.

25 years ago people would laugh this kind of thing off. But that’s not happening anymore.

The Redskins are perhaps a ‘worst’ case scenario because the owner is a dark personality type and allowed a LOT of other stuff go that wouldn’t elsewhere.

We can talk about the NFL and they are some years behind, but I can recall incidents of this type in regular business in the early 1990’s and it went largely unpunished.

The NFL is finally learning they aren’t immune from the rules the rest of us follow.

Bulldog.....the rest of us? Surely you jest.

What happens when Epstein is murdered? Nothing.

What happens when a President commits sexual harassment in the White House? He's re-elected.

What happens with all the Congressional sexual harassment that hit the news about four years ago? Nothing.

What happens when young women are kidnapped and sold as sex slaves? Nothing.

What did hollywood do while the same and worse was going on with Weinstein and others for deacdes? Nothing.

I don't care what happens to Snyder. But it does irk me when this is framed as noble justice. It's not. It's clearing the decks for the powerful many who are jetting off to private islands where they do the very same things. Let's not miss the bigger picture here. It doesn't/shouldn't stop with Snyder. If folks believe in the concept then it needs to be ripped out and eliminated in all corners of society - not ignored because some individual happens to vote or post in a way we favor. We must all work actively toward that end.

 

[Sarge]

It’s not really taking anything down.

This team needed an exorcism after the last X number of years.

Santos and Michael should have lost their jobs years ago because they are mediocre to incompetent.

The fact they were carrying on as publicly as they were only reinforces our perception of an organization requiring room by room fumigation.

This organization is 100% better off without Allen, Michael, Santos, Mann, Greene and the rest.

Now to address the man that hired these dopes and kept them on for years.

The NFL may not be able to force an immediate sale but they can fine Snyder for conduct detrimental to the image of the league.

Whether this could include draft picks I don’t know.

Again, not taking up for the danny, but is the NFL really gonna cast that stone? I know they're woke and all, but do the really want to open all the other teams up to close scrutiny? It's gonna be a fine line goodell walks if he goes that way, and he better hope he's as pure as the wind driven snow as well

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

I read the article and cried. It is so awful. It brings up so many painful emotions for me, it feels visceral and I want to puke. I can’t even form, like coherent thoughts. Except to say I’m done. Not only with the Skins, but the NFL. I’m so sick of this fucked up patriarchal society from professional sports to our presidency. I’m just done. The NFL is not a safe place for females.

I have not read the article, but I read other articles that discuss it and are not behind a paywall (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id...sexual-misconduct-former-washington-employees) and I'm sure to read more soon. I guess I could sum up my feelings on this in two simple statements.

1) This should not be allowed. It should not have been allowed to happen at any point in the past, but in today's world there is 0 tolerance for this, and we are better off as a society for that. You can complain about the way some people go about enacting societal change, but it is beneath anyone to say that society did not absolutely, unequivocally need changes in how it treats women and African Americans. There is more evidence than needed.
2) Sadly, I am not surprised that there was harassment. In an organization like the Redskins, I am not surprised that it would fester dangerously. You need a strong, authoritative, and intelligent hand at play. I don't think Snyder is particularly able to claim any of those three, but especially not the last one. I will say, I immediately checked the timeline of claims, and I was sad to see that they span back towards 2006 which does include some of Joe Gibbs tenure here. I'm not at all saying he knew about anything of the sort, but I am just sad that he is at all connected to the trash heap that Snyder has created (whether directly or through his inability to lead, whatever the case).

Cuban jumped on a very similar problem in the NBA if I recall. I'm not sure how detailed it was (maybe because Cuban handled the PR much better, and that is why I don't know the specifics, or I didn't pay enough attention)... but it will be interesting to see how Snyder compares. I'll go out on a limb and say "unfavorably."

 

[Solitary Man]

 

[MikefromOH]

1 reported case of sexual harassment is too many.

15 is a problem. it is a sickness in the organization. somehow it became OK to treat women like that.

the cheerleaders, the staff. its all wrong.

it isn't like we have 15,000 staff members in the front office. 15 cases is A LOT when it comes to the size of the Redskins org.

but, even so, 1 case is too many.

The owner is ultimately responsible for how his company is ran. If you have these kinds of issues that go on for years and years, you are not a good leader and should be removed.

 

[Boone]

Amen Mike!

 

[Elephant]

So I made friends with a great family who have season tix in the Dream Seats. Many times, they've invited me to games to join them in their seats in the first row about 10 seats down from where the infamous image of RG3 and that girl was taken by the team tunnel in the EZ where he scored the 78 yard TD against the Vikings.

Anyway, The grand daughter of the gentlemen who holds the tix just became a Redskins cheerleader. She is a rookie. I hope for her sake that the atmosphere is forced to change. She is a bright, energetic, and nice young lady...she doesn't deserve to be exposed to that type of behavior.

 

[stevenaa]

I wish the league would just pull the franchise from him as a statement to other teams, but the owners are the league, so don't hold your breadth. They'll circle the wagons, say the same placating platitudes and wash it all away in short order.

 

[Boone]

Probably right - although there's also the possibility this is just salvo #1 and that the WP is just making sure it has it's legal ducks in a row before continuing the onslaught. A fella can dream, can't he?

 

[Elephant]

I wish the league would just pull the franchise from him as a statement to other teams, but the owners are the league, so don't hold your breadth. They'll circle the wagons, say the same placating platitudes and wash it all away in short order.

I wouldn't be so sure...I just keep seeing how easy it was for them to force Richardson out in Charlotte.

 

[Solitary Man]

I wish the league would just pull the franchise from him as a statement to other teams, but the owners are the league, so don't hold your breadth. They'll circle the wagons, say the same placating platitudes and wash it all away in short order.

I wouldn't be completely sure about this. He is kind of an outcast among the group. annnnd you know how the nfl, would llllllovvveeee to show they are serious about this i$$ue, by $etting an example.

 

[Elephant]

Probably right - although there's also the possibility this is just salvo #1 and that the WP is just making sure it has it's legal ducks in a row before continuing the onslaught. A fella can dream, can't he?

The ultimate FU to Snyder would be for the minority stakes go public like in Green Bay. I am not sure of the logistics of such a move, but it'd be nice to see.

 

[Boone]

Richardson was an old man, not a spiteful, Machiavellian SOB like Snyder.

 

[Boone]

The ultimate FU to Snyder would be for the minority stakes go public like in Green Bay. I am not sure of the logistics of such a move, but it'd be nice to see.

They're probably neck deep in the slime right there alongside him El. If they weren't, one would think they'd be trying to hold onto their minority stakes and force HIM out. Instead, they're attempting to flee.

 

[Sassy Gretsch]

I'm somewhat heartened to see the responses here about this topic. (With the exception of Sarge, of course, who has not appeared to grow or evolve in any way since at least 2006, when I first joined ES, a site from which he was rightfully banned).

1. This article is damning but not sadly not surprising. We've known for a long time how toxic, petty, and petulant the environment has been under Snyder's ownership. He needs to be held accountable in a way that serves as an example to all other owners in the NFL, and indeed to all executives, coaches, and staffers of sporting franchises at every level, and all other organizations public and private, that explicitly promoting or implicitly tolerating a culture that breeds harassment and abuse and assault of anyone, is not acceptable and will not be rewarded or tolerated.

2. Those of us who consider ourselves to remain fans of this team (I'm not sure if I count myself in this group anymore) must take the lead in the demand for genuine change and meaningful accountability. We must demand that the NFL, its corporate sponsors (read: masters), media, and other fans, keep pressuring this organization to earnestly begin the process of engaging and reconciling with the victims of sexual and non-sexual harassment and abuse (including apologizing to the victims and releasing them from NDAs), holding accountable the responsible parties (most importantly Snyder), describing specific steps the organization is taking to ensure that the culture is actually being improved, providing specific and accurate metrics that will allow accurate assessment of a cultural improvement.

3. Whether he stays or goes, Snyder needs to genuinely speak to the fanbase and the community as a whole, either in person or in writing. He needs to take full responsibility for this and all the failures of this franchise during his tenure, on and off the field. He needs to truly engage the community and the fanbase and show some level of understanding and humility. I don't believe he's capable of this, but it's the least he could do. And we need to stop giving any money to him or his partners until he does. And loudly let them know.

 

[Boone]

You've been reading too much of that ES propaganda about us Sassy. We have a fantastic bunch of people here. Nice to see you and outstanding post

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I wouldn't be so sure...I just keep seeing how easy it was for them to force Richardson out in Charlotte.

I thought about that tonight. The allegations in Charlotte were directly against Richardson. He was the one making the comments about wearing tight jeans and other inappropriate comments. He also supposedly uses a racial slur at another employee. I'm not saying Snyder shouldn't be gone since this is a major failure and lack of leadership. But the situations are different.

 

[Elephant]

I thought about that tonight. The allegations in Charlotte were directly against Richardson. He was the one making the comments about wearing tight jeans and other inappropriate comments. He also supposedly uses a racial slur at another employee. I'm not saying Snyder shouldn't be gone since this is a major failure and lack of leadership. But the situations are different.

Different circumstances, yes...equally as egregious. The NFL is so worried about their image right now...they are on the verge of losing tremendous viewership and are worried about offending anyone.

If this story isn't exactly what they do not want to see, I don't know what is...outside murder.

 

[Solitary Man]

Oddly enough, the only time I would like to hear Larry Michael speak is now. I could not STAND him.

 

[bnacpa]

A point noted in the articles, which is beyond outrageous and shows the true character and nature of Dan Snyder, is the fact that he won't release the victims from their NDAs. Not even with the condition that the only thing they may disclose is their experience with the Redskins management and culture - still protecting any confidential business information they may have taken part in. Wouldn't his best move for the court of public opinion and his chances of retaining the team longer with less pressure be to distance himself by blowing this wide open with outrage and standing by his convictions to fire the two scouting executives? He could also state he was going to fire Larry but he resigned first. What stinks here is that he looks like he is trying to satisfice the situation once again ... do the lease amount he thinks is required to get by. If he wanted to get in front of this, he should have sent out an immediate statement of condemnation and freed the women to pursue justice so that their open stories would help inspire other women to come forward and hopefully eliminate this type of culture elsewhere in the league / sports.

But someone who does none of this ... who lawyers up and protects himself over doing the right thing to help these women ... is detached and distorted. It shows that he only cares about himself and that any good gestures he has made over the years are the exception and possibly done for PR purposes.

Dan has to go. I believe it was Mark May years ago who said something to the effect that as long as Dan Snyder owns the team, the team will never make it back to the Super Bowl. He is correct. You need people in order to succeed. You need everyone coordinated on the same page trying to do the best they can and sacrificing for you out of belief and passion. Not trying to survive out of fear or being made to feel irrelevant and expendable. Culture and tone are set at the top.

Sorry if this comes off preachy - not my intent. I am disgusted that such a beacon of joy from my childhood growing up in the 80's ... the winning culture established by Gibbs during my formative years ... has turned into this pile of BS.