The Snyder Strikes Back

[Om]

This could be fun.

Do please take a few minutes to read the complaint before making too may assumptions or drawing conclusions. Those who have followed the Redskins-related writings of Washington City Paper "sports journalist" Dave McKenna over the years will know the genesis and scope of all this. Those who have not (which would be most of the human population) may need a bit of perspective and a road map.

For the record, there's a lot of history here ... including some of it personally ... I have a modest bit of history with Senor McKenna myself. Not a guy I hold in very high professional esteem, to be honest.

But that's for another day. For today ... let the Redskins offseason begin.

Enjoy.

DANIEL M. SNYDER - v. - ATALAYA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LP et al

SUMMONS + COMPLAINT

1-1 EXHIBIT(S) Exhibit A to Complaint

1-2 EXHIBIT(S) Exhibit B to Complaint

1-3 EXHIBIT(S) Exhibit C to Complaint

1-4 EXHIBIT(S) Exhibit D to Complaint


And the Paper's response a few minutes ago ...

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2011/02/02/snyder-sues/

 

[Lanky Livingston]

While this comes off as a douchey move by Snyder, and looks like a guy with little-man syndrome hopping-mad and throwing a tantrum, if McKenna did in fact accuse Snyder of forgery when there was no forgery (I've heard the alleged forgery took place after Snyder sold the company), that's a lawsuit. Especially when Snyder's legal team asked the City Paper to take the article down or correct the misinformation.

In either case, this was just a bad move by Snyder - as a twitter-friend of mine put it, its just another in a long line of examples of how NOT to run a professional team. Ted Leonsis would have written a scathing blog response, and left it alone. Suing a small paper like WCP just LOOKS petty, no matter how justifiable it actually might be.

 

[Om]

Well, just for the record ... it doesn't look petty to me, LL. There's a reason we have libel laws in this country. It's to try to keep some level of sanity and balance in a country with a free press. Somewhere along the line, "free press" seemed to morph in the public mind to "anything goes" in the pursuit of the cheap circulation buck.

Way I read it, the suit is against the parent company that owns City Paper and five other similar publications, and comes after several months of trying to get the Paper to retract the things they consider libelous to no avail.

The easy reaction among frustrated Redskins fans will be to say Snyder should just ignore this bull**** and focus on winning games. I just don't think that's fair. To me this isn't about football wins and losses, it's about right and wrong.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Sure, but all I'm saying is that there were other venues for Snyder to approach this. Washington City Paper could be bankrupted by an extensive legal battle with Snyder; a paper that is read by a lot of people. It just seems spiteful of Snyder - and judging from some of the twitter responses I've seen on this subject, I'm not alone.

 

[Goaldeje]

I was going to write about how I agreed with Lanky. But once i started thinking about it, i think I agree with OM. Not so much because of the right and wrong thing, but because I'm not sure how much more he can be hated, so what difference will this make? The people who already despise him (cough, Sarge, cough ) aren't going to hate him more because of this. The people who defend him will point to this as being good for him to defend his name. So what difference does it make? Are there really fence sitters in Redskins Nation 10+ years in? this is going to sway someone?

So really, what difference does it make? If he feels he was wronged, sure it may look like a dick move, but whatever. Not like it changes my opinion of him that much one way or the other. For some, it probably confirms he is a dick. That's about it.
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[Om]

LL, I certainly respect your right to your opinion ... to me, it just seems a little too easy to expect someone else to take the kind of crap Snyder has taken from that "paper" over the years.

I've had just the tiniest taste of what Snyder has had to put up with from McKenna myself, and I gotta tell ya....it ain't easy to turn the other cheek time and time again when someone takes the kinds of liberties with the truth McKenna does.

Who speaks for the truth?

 

[servumtuum]

Om, you might remember a post I did last July about an article I had found on confirmation bias-here's the link to the article itself :http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/06/23/confirmation-bias/

Those who have always viewed Dan Snyder in an extremely negative light will view his taking legal action as "petty", those who have been more supportive of him will not. This is, I believe, how the judgements will be made-it will be filtered not through "objective reality" sensing because that is simply impossible-we're just not wired that way.

Do I have an opinion on this? Of course-in my view there is nothing wrong with Snyder taking the action he is taking because he is entitled to do so under the system of libel laws as they currently exist. Should he have that right? A political question involving the nature and scope of this type of litigation. Is he overreacting? Again, the confirmation bias factor is operative bending the answers in the direction of already held opinions of Snyder and McKenna both. Is McKenna and the paper with which he is associated engaging in a volitional attempt at character assassination? That is the court's call-not mine. I find McKenna's approach personally offensive and degrading and would myself be tempted to sue his hindquarters off were he to print such things about me, but that, again, is my personal opinion and that is all. Were Dan Snyder to approach me and ask my opinion on what he should do my answer would be "That, sir, is your decision to make and not mine." Have I formed and expressed negative opinions of some things Dan Snyder has done? Yes, but those opinions, however, have nothing to do with the current legal situation under discussion.

Making a judgement on Snyder's actions in either direction is an "Eye of the beholder" situation to me.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Om, I agree that Snyder has been shat on by that (and other) papers A LOT. I also happen to think that maybe he deserves some of it, from his actions concerning & not-concerning the Redskins.

Keep in mind also that like it or not, Snyder is a public figure, so he has a higher burden for libel than you or I.

 

[Sarge]

Can I get that picture as my avatar?

 

[Burgundy Burner]

I'm not a fan of Dan Snyder, but this one battle that I hope he wins. Much of what is in that hate piece is far beyond what any reponsible journalist would write.

Personally, I hope this will destroy McKenna for good. Yes, I mean it. Ditto for the paper.

Kudos to Mr. Snyder for standing his ground, protecting his wife, and his willigness to donate all awards in this litigation to charity.
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[Ax]

Of course, The Washington Post, unbiased douchebags they profess to be, had one of their hacks weigh in...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/02/AR2011020205483.html


This is the email I sent him this morning.

"Your piece in Thursday's paper, where you blindly stand up for your fellow mediot's at the City Paper, is what makes newspapers more suitable to line the bottom of bird cages, than anything else. Face it, your medium is a dying dinosaur. Hopefully, the "vindictive bully" and his lawsuit will expedite the bankruptcy of the City Paper, ridding the world of another useless bunch of "reporters." And, with any luck, your name will be on the next list of layoffs at the Washington Pissed."

Sincerely,

 

[Henry]

Normally, I'd just assume Snyder was being a micromanaging little jerk, but being familiar with Dave McKenna's work (and the personal issues to which Om is referring) I am going to watch this unfold with a neutral eye. Snyder might actually have a case.

I will say that Snyder will never win this fight in the court of public opinion. He may win a civil case, but he's just made a hero out of a lousy writer who works for a lousy paper, and that's too bad.

 

[fansince62]

LL, I certainly respect your right to your opinion ... to me, it just seems a little too easy to expect someone else to take the kind of crap Snyder has taken from that "paper" over the years.

I've had just the tiniest taste of what Snyder has had to put up with from McKenna myself, and I gotta tell ya....it ain't easy to turn the other cheek time and time again when someone takes the kinds of liberties with the truth McKenna does.

Who speaks for the truth?

the 10 million dollar question!!!!!

 

[Sarge]

LL, I certainly respect your right to your opinion ... to me, it just seems a little too easy to expect someone else to take the kind of crap Snyder has taken from that "paper" over the years.

I've had just the tiniest taste of what Snyder has had to put up with from McKenna myself, and I gotta tell ya....it ain't easy to turn the other cheek time and time again when someone takes the kinds of liberties with the truth McKenna does.

Who speaks for the truth?

But what if Snyder is Bezzelbulb? Hell (no pun intended) I've been saying it for years. Look how far out into the desert he's led Redskins Nation

I still want that picture for an avatar too

 

[Henry]

Sarge, maybe you aren't familiar with historic anti-semitism and I know you're not the most PC-sensitive guy in the world , but depicting a Jew with horns is kinda like depicting a black guy as a monkey. It's something probably best avoided, even if one's motives are pure.

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

Henry, I actually like snyder but I lold at a picture of him as a devil in my head.

Honestly the stiff he does strikes me more as a klid not really knowing what to do or how to do it, rather than being a bad person. but not everyone feels that way I guess.

 

[Jimbo]

Newspapers fighting for their lives in this day and age harkens back to the days of yore when papes were competing with each other to see if they could continue to exist. The one thing they have in common is Yellow Journalism.

In particular, sports "journalism" has taken on the color of piss because sports fans are, well....FANatical. We, as fans, are being preyed upon by these so-called sports journalists because our team is our escape from the crap that goes on in our everyday lives and they know it. We often get sucked into reading certain articles because of the headline attached to it. Sometimes all it needs is a buzzword like "Redskins" or "Snyder" and we're all over it.

Because of Danny's past mistakes, anything that says "Snyder" makes us automatically think "what has he done now". The story could be mostly about money he's donating to charity but that's simply not juicy enough to get your emotions stirring as fans, so the writer of the article has to include something that will. That something is usually negative because "outrage" sells.

While I'm not a big fan of Danny, I hope he wins this one simply because I want to see McKenna sent to the equivilant of journalism Siberia. Sportswriters with agendas give the medium a bad name. Peter King lost weight, went on Prozac and saw the light. He regained my respect. I don't see the same ever happening with McKenna.

 

[Ax]

Newspapers fighting for their lives in this day and age harkens back to the days of yore when papes were competing with each other to see if they could continue to exist. The one thing they have in common is Yellow Journalism.

In particular, sports "journalism" has taken on the color of piss because sports fans are, well....FANatical. We, as fans, are being preyed upon by these so-called sports journalists because our team is our escape from the crap that goes on in our everyday lives and they know it. We often get sucked into reading certain articles because of the headline attached to it. Sometimes all it needs is a buzzword like "Redskins" or "Snyder" and we're all over it.

Because of Danny's past mistakes, anything that says "Snyder" makes us automatically think "what has he done now". The story could be mostly about money he's donating to charity but that's simply not juicy enough to get your emotions stirring as fans, so the writer of the article has to include something that will. That something is usually negative because "outrage" sells.

While I'm not a big fan of Danny, I hope he wins this one simply because I want to see McKenna sent to the equivilant of journalism Siberia. Sportswriters with agendas give the medium a bad name. Peter King lost weight, went on Prozac and saw the light. He regained my respect. I don't see the same ever happening with McKenna.

Well said Jimbo.

You should try your hand at picking games.
I bet you'd do purty good at that too.

 

[Jimbo]

Well said Jimbo.

You should try your hand at picking games.
I bet you'd do purty good at that too.

Thanks Ax!!!

 

[Chris]

How can this lawsuit possibly harm Daniel Snyder's reputation?