Daniel Snyder takes 'full responsibility' for misconduct allegations, though claims he was unaware of them
Once again, we’re being promised a culture change for the Washington Football Team.
Team owner Daniel Snyder, while denying that he knew of any of the allegations of sexual misconduct within his franchise that were revealed in an explosive Washington Post story, said in a statement through ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he was too hands off and promised change.
Statement from Dan Snyder in response to the allegations in today’s Washington Post: pic.twitter.com/vuvfUAO4q0
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 26, 2020
Unfortunately, if you search “Daniel Snyder responds to Washington Post story,” you have to specify which story it is. It has been a rough offseason for Snyder and his team.
While the statement starts in a conciliatory tone, it quickly devolves into blaming the Washington Post for a “hit job” and mentioning that the allegations are 10-20 years old. So while Snyder promises “cultural transformation on and off the field,” it’s telling that Snyder had to blame the Post because he thought the allegations were too old to bring up now, and claims there are “negative agendas” involved with allegations of sexual misconduct. Snyder also refuted the claim of Tiffany Bacon Scourby, a former team cheerleader who told the Post about a 2004 encounter with Snyder in which she said Snyder suggested she and the team’s “official ophthalmologist” should “go upstairs and get to know each other better.”
Perhaps Snyder really does believe that a culture change will help, and leaders like new coach Ron Rivera and new president Jason Wright will transform his team. The thought that Snyder has been too “hands off” seems dubious given what we know about the workings of the WFT over the past couple decades, and attacking the Washington Post for its reporting is straight out of Snyder’s blame playbook.
The only hope is that Snyder is right and the culture will actually change in Washington, because that franchise surely needs it.
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