Washingtonian.com: The Dan Snyder You Don't Know (pub. 2006, MET)

[titus3]

http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/sports/1679.html

Click link for entire article

The Dan Snyder You Don't Know


To disgruntled fans, the Redskins owner Is a spoiled rich kid who treats the team like a toy—and a money machine. People close to him say it ain’t so.

By Harry Jaffe Published Friday, September 01, 2006

National editor Harry Jaffe, born and raised in Philadelphia, is an Eagles fan who has rooted against the Redskins all his life. Editorial intern Caleb Hannan helped with research for this article.


Joe Gibbs first met Dan Snyder at a group home for teenagers in early 1999. Gibbs, the legendary Redskins coach, was out of football and into racing cars on the NASCAR circuit; he was in Washington to raise funds for Youth for Tomorrow, a residential facility in Manassas for at-risk teens that he had founded in 1986.

Snyder was making a run at buying the Washington Redskins that winter. He was relatively unknown in the business community. He was 34, owned a marketing company, was worth about a half a billion dollars, and worshipped the Redskins.

At a fundraising meeting, someone suggested that Gibbs hit Snyder up for a donation to the home. Gibbs said he didn’t know him.

“I’ll handle it,” Dwight Schar said.

Schar, owner of NVR, a residential builder, had met Snyder several times. He got through to him and made the pitch.

“For $10,000 you can be one of the boys,” Schar told Snyder. “For $25,000 you can be one of the big boys.”

Snyder wrote a check for $25,000. He then met with Gibbs and became a regular contributor. After buying the Redskinsin April 1999, he became closer with Schar and Gibbs through their charity work.

“There was no reason for Dan Snyder to come and do that,” Gibbs told me. “There was no thought I was ever coming back to football. I was not trying to get anything from him, and he wasn’t trying to get anything from me.”

The episode in 1999 presaged the relationship among three men now at the helm of the Redskins: Snyder is starting his seventh year as owner; Gibbs is going into his third year as coach; Schar has become part-owner and one of Snyder’s closest friends and advisers.

It also reveals a side of Snyder that has been overlooked by many disgruntled fans and most members of the media, who like to pillory him as a spoiled rich kid who treats the Redskins like his latest toy.

Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins wrote in 2003 that Snyder “runs the franchise with such lunatic impatience and excess. Self-restraint is apparently not an option.”

Another Post story that year said the media saw Snyder as “an arrogant, interfering amateur.” âž�

The “Tank McNamara” comic strip named him Sports Jerk of the Year.
But friends, business partners, and employees describe Snyder as “a great listener,” a man who is loyal and generous.
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This article was written back in 2006. Thought I'd post it to balance some of the negative things that's being said about Snyder. However, it was written by an eagles fan so take it for what it's worth. Jaffe also, wrote on his blog back then about Snyder losing the fans.

http://www.washingtonian.com/blogart...ment/2812.html

[HRNY4ZRNY]

I wish Dan Snyder knew the fans want to adore him we want to admire him. We dont want to hate our owner.

All he has to do is come out and admit he has to make a fundamental change. That he really thought he was doing whats best for the Redskin's. At a certain point you have to look at results and you have to change.

Get us a GM that knows football.

Let him get us a hard nosed coach. (Gruden)

Step back for awhile and let them handle it. Be apart of meetings because afterall it is your money, but trust them.

Finally, recognize what our tradition is, the biggest contributor to our 3 superbowls was the hogs. Rebuild our offensiveline. Lets start playing NFC east football.

We really want to respect him it's just pretty hard when it seems like he is unwilling to change.

[FrFan]

Originally Posted by titus3

But friends, business partners, and employees describe Snyder as “a great listener,” a man who is loyal and generous.

This is an irrelevant argument since friends and business partners are tied to him ($$$). Does the writer really expect them to say bad things about him ?
Wait until his downfall and then you'll see what many friends and business partners have to say about him.
Another question about the fund raising with coach Gibbs: Could it have been a strategy to get into the good graces of coach Gibbs in order to get him out of nascar one of these days ?
I always find it easy to give money to a charity when you're a billionaire, much more difficult and rewarding to give your time and true care (on a regular basis) to these charities.
Last but not least fans can search this forum to see how nice (sarcasm) he is, how he treats his housekeeping staff, the contractors working in his house, and the way he sues fans.

[Gator Bait]

I wonder how much Danny paid to get this article published?

[aREDSKIN]

Just seems to me that DS was trying to influence his purchase of the WR. Could be my 10 years after the fact with DS effect though.

[FrFan]

Originally Posted by finkle22281

I wonder how much Danny paid to get this article published?

His life revolves around $, he wants to buy Superbowls, the Fans love by making them hyperventilating when it's free agency time, and finally he wants to make us think he is a nice guy by giving money to a charity.

[Rex Tomb]

It's important to note the date this article was published (2006). I don't think Danny had done much to make the fans revile him at that point. However, things have changed and even some of his most ardent defenders a few years ago are questioning his decisions and his approach to management.

It's depressing...you can't fire the owner (unfortunately).

[GoSkins561]

Snyder writes a check for 25k, wow.

I am sure he writes bigger checks to non-profits all of the time, I am not impressed, 1. he has to for tax reasons and 2. he would be considered a bigger prick than he already is, if he did'nt.

When it's all said and Dan Snyder is still a little *******.

[CaliforniaSkin]

Snyder stuck with Norv Turner through the 1999 season, which was lackluster.

That sentence tells you all you need to know about the biases in the article. 1999 was the last year that we won the division. We had the #2 offense in the NFL and won a playoff game. 1999 was the most successful year on Snyder's ownership.

[SolidSnake84]

No amount of pro-propaganda for Dan Snyder is going to change how people feel. He has went too far with his anti-fan censorships....people will never forgive him now. You can't piss down the throats of the people that you rely on to make your income, and then turn around and look for a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Snyder will never be respected by the fans or probably even his own staff....sadly it is too late

[Adam291]

It's nice that Snyder gives money to charity, but it doesn't make me feel better that he has no clue how to successfully run a football team. He can be the nicest guy in the world, but if he's completely incompetent, being nice doesn't really matter.

[Burgold]

There are many sides to a person. We've all read positive and negative stories about the man. I don't think there is a question that he is stubborn, arrogant and adores power. He absolutely has a need to be one of the "big boys" I also don't think there's a doubt that he can have a generous spirit at times, he was the first owner to help during Katrina. He's loaned his plane to his players at times of family need a number of times, and certainly he ain't pinching pennies when it comes to getting players or coaches.

I think where he's wrong is he can't break out of the mindset that if you pay for the best you should get the best. While logically, it makes some sense... the history of the Redskins shows by now it doesn't work. He needs to take a step back and assess his basic philosophy with this team. Stop trying so hard to fly when his team has trouble walking. He needs to reinvent himself and this team.

There is a way for him to be a winner, but it requires him to adopt a new strategy and philosophy.

[WSHRedskins3ATLBraves3]

I don't believe this at all.

All $nyder has proven is that he likes money, hates fans and loves inept GM's.

I'd just as soon call $nyder a dallas fan than a Redskins fan.

[scruffylookin]

You know I'm getting sick and tired hearing about Danny "worhipping" the Redskins or being such a big fan of the Redskins.

You know what, no way in hell did he "worship" or "love" the Redskins more than me and if I ever were lucky enough to gain stewardship of the team, because I "love" it so much I would not be so arrogant to think that I can run the football ops like Danny has from day 1.

I don't neeed to see "another side" of Danny. All I need to see is the way he's run this franchise into the ground. That is all I care about.

[Rocky21]

I've seen this article posted at least 3 times on this site.