Dan Snyder Going The Distance

Unlike the hit television show Survivor, the NFL doesn’t grant immunity to its cast from the scrutiny of public opinion. This reality isn’t just applicable to players but coaches and owners as well. Society is more curious about the lives of players because there is a sense that champagne never stops flowing and the hot tubs are never empty. We all know the lives of billionaire owners with private jets and homes on each continent can’t possibly be exciting.

Even in today’s climate of heated negotiations between the NFLPA and owners, it’s rare for owners to make the news. Team owners are undeniably the most powerful figure within an organization but the least heard from. Owners like Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys that wears every executive hat within a franhise are rare. Majority of owners would rather lurk in the shadows of annonymity.

As of late the name of a particular owner keeps popping up in news cycles. Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has been highly newsworthy, ironically by no fault of his own. Usually this time of year Dan Snyder is being lambasted in the media for overspending during free agency and dodging allegations of trying to “buy” a team. Many would have assumed without the restrictions of a salary cap the Redskins would have been in the market for every possible big name free agent. This hasn’t been the case for the Skins and many are wondering, “whats going on with Dan Snyder?” His unusual restraint during this period could be the dawning of a new era for the business mogul and his franchise.

Everyday throughout the world people buy furniture for their offices but it’s not newsworthy unless you’re Dan Snyder. It was alleged, Dan Snyder purchased an alligator skin desk with matching chairs for a whopping 600,000$. When the media caught wind of this the air was abuzz about this grand purchase. Now, I’m not one to pass judgement but retail stores are packed day and night with people making purchases they can’t afford. There is a reason our country is in a trillion dollar deficit and it’s not due to diligent fiscal management. If Dan Snyder wanted to purchase a desk and chair for what it would cost to feed inner-city homeless for a decade, so what. The last time I checked, we live in a nation that affords us the opportunity to do as we please. Dan Snyder pays more in taxes than most will make in a lifetime and he should have the right to spend as foolishly as the rest of society. What made this story so special was the fact, it was not true. A rougue employee of a high-end furniture store took it upon herself to fabricate this story. This fabriction ultimately cost herself a job and Dan Snyder three days in the news.

Former Dallas Cowboy HOF running back Emmitt Smith provided the most intense of all the recent headlines. When interviewed by SLAM magazine about the team he enjoyed beating the most, Emmitt provided an unexpected diatribe.

"I loved defeating the Redskins," said Smith. "I loved it, I loved it, I loved it with a passion. And I loved it more when Daniel Snyder got the team, for a number of reasons. I did. Because here is a guy who thought he could build a football team just because he has the money to buy players. There's more to it than that.

"And he's not a compassionate person, not a compassionate person at all from what I understand. And that makes me just want to pummel somebody. You know, you hate to see pride, wearing itself on his forehead and his chest. And to me, arrogance sticks out like a sore thumb when you talk about him. And the lack of compassion for others is a problem. Because it's not that hard to be compassionate; you just choose to."

The first portion of the quote many people won’t argue with. As a young owner in the NFL he made plenty of misguided efforts to build a championship team through finances. Many of his efforts didn’t pan out but his track record as a businessman speaks volumes. The latter portion of the quote is where things went awry. Before anybody calls a man out on the carpet you better be sure you know what you’re talking about. If there isn’t a personal story or incident that one can point to before making pointed attacks on anothers character then some things should go left unsaid. You may “choose” to be compassionate just as you can “choose" to keep unsolicited and unvalidated comments to yourself.

A man that spent his 10 year career playing for Dan Snyder had a very different view of Snyder’s alleged lack of compassion. Six-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Chris Samuels told me a story that from his account, many others didn’t want to hear. “It’s almost as if everybody wants him to be a bad guy” Samuels said. As Samuels recapped his story about a tragic car accident his brother was involved in a different side of Snyder was slowly revealed.

Two years ago the brother of Chris Samuels, Lawrence Samuels was involved in a car wreck that forced him to be airlifted to Tampa Florida’s trauma center. “At this time I didn’t know if my brother was dead, alive or what” as Samuels and his family tried to map out a plan to get to Tampa. Since the accident happened late at night it was impossible for Samuels in Virginia and his family located throughout the south to book an immediate flight. Giving the dire circumstances it was paramount for the family to get to the bedside of Lawrence immediately. It wasn’t long before Dan Snyder was on the phone with his star offensive lineman working out a plan to get his family to Tampa.

Dan Snyder sent his private jet from Florida to pick up Chris in Virginia. The personal escort then proceeded to Atlanta and Alabama to pick up the rest of the Samuels clan before heading off to Tampa. Within a couple of hours following the accident the entire Samuels family was at the hospital gathering the latest on his brothers condition. “The crazy thing about it was when we landed in Tampa we had car service to take us wherever we needed to go and Mr.Snyder told us to keep his pilot and car service as long as we needed” Samuels said. This wasn’t the end of the story, Samuels went on to say…”what really stood out to me, every hour until 4a.m. he called me to check on my brother to see how he was doing. A lot of people say negative things about him but if you never met him or really hung around him you don’t know him.”

Hearing all the negative innuendo that has been tossed around regarding Dan Snyder it's refreshing to hear the "other" side.