This site was started as a gathering place for Redskins fans who, sick and tired of seeing their team perform miserably, were ready to do something about it. We were convinced that the Redskins problems originated at the top of the organization, where a decade of mismanagement led to the low points we witnessed in 2009. More than simple disappointment over a losing season, we believed that the Redskins would never regain their former glory if some substantial reforms were not enacted, starting with management.
Owner Dan Snyder and General Manager Vinny Cerrato were the two most responsible for the Redskins' lack of success. Disturbed by the idea that one of the wealthiest sports franchises in the world could remain so unsuccessful on the field, we pledged to withhold our financial support of the team until three major ultimatums were met. Here's what we posted on our pledge page back in October:
- We want Mr. Snyder to fire Mr. Cerrato and hire a real General Manager.
- We want Mr. Snyder to go hands-off. The new GM should be able to make decisions free from compulsion from the owner.
- We want a public acknowledgment from Mr. Snyder that the current course is unacceptable.
Recent events have shown that Snyder was listening. Along with many other fans, notable former Redskins, and media commentators, we are delighted to see that our goals have been achieved. Cerrato is gone, replaced by Bruce Allen, and Snyder even made an apology. We're shocked to see these aspirations come true, and so quickly. And there's no denying that the Skins fan base was responsible for their coming to fruition.
So we're going to close down the site for now, and disable new signatures for the pledge. We believe Snyder is dedicated to winning and that he now understands how much the team can benefit from his relinquishing control to more experienced football personnel. However, we won't know whether our new GM or subsequent head coaches have enough autonomy for some time. We're confident that things are really changing at Redskins Park, but there's always the possibility we would have to open the site up again.
Here at FanExodus, we would like to thank all of those die-hard Redskins fans who signed our pledge. The media spots and page views the site has garnered ensure that your support helped get Snyder's attention.
We're look forward to the next era of Redskins football. We're not expecting a Super Bowl team overnight, but being Redskins fans, we're ever optimistic.
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