The Washington Commanders have kicked off a new era following the departure of former owner Dan Snyder, with Josh Harris stepping in after a purchase totaling $6 billion.
Many fans are glad to see Snyder’s back after a woeful 24 years in which the team went 164-220. As if that wasn’t bad enough, his ownership was marred in controversy – so much so, he was fined $60 million on the way out following the results of an investigation into claims of sexual harassment and doctoring team books.
A former Washington player recently spoke up in Snyder’s defense, with Albert Haynesworth insisting the 58-year-old isn’t as bad as he’s being made out to be.
Haynesworth, an erstwhile defensive tackle who signed a $100 million deal with Washington in 2009 was speaking on Outkick’s Hot Mic when he made some very positive remarks about the former owner.
“We were like super cool,” Haynesworth said. “Everybody’s like, ‘Dan’s an A-H, whatever, but he’s not. Everyone’s like, ‘He ruined Washington, D.C. He ruined the [Commanders]. This guy, who he was … he loved [Washington]. He’s like watching every practice, he’s doing all that stuff.”
Hayneworth still admitted that Snyder did not have the required acumen to make the best talent choices and operated like a “billionaire fantasy owner.”
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“The thing about Dan, he didn’t know a ton about football like that,” he added. “I call him, and I’d say this to his face, he’s a billionaire fantasy footballer. So imagine you have billions of dollars and you own a football team, and when you see all of the NFL, you’re like, ‘Bro, that’s a great player. I’m gonna get him, I’m gonna get him. I’m gonna get him.’ …
“You’ve got to have the dynamics between the team, the coaches. You’ve got to have the right coaches to be able to put that together. You can’t just go do that. You can get a few players and stuff like that, but you also have to build within the draft, some trades, and just getting those guys and getting that dynamic together.”
This does tie in with former head coach Jay Gruden’s claims in which he noted Snyder would decide who the team would draft or sign without watching any film or watching scouting reports.
