This site represents an assembly of die-hard Redskins fans who find the idea of a disgraceful and perpetually losing franchise unacceptable. We can no longer continue to lament the current state of affairs in our conversations while applauding it with our pocketbooks. The problems with the organization begin at the top, and will continue unless we take action.
September 27, 2009 witnessed a sad day in Redskins history. A rookie quarterback led a struggling team to their first victory in 19 games against a Washington organization which included some of the highest paid players in the history of professional football.
Washington supporters would have been stunned if this were a typical upset. Unfortunately, few in Washington didn't see it coming. The loss instead represented the culmination of a trend of mismanagement in the franchise.
It isn't for lack of loyalty that we are questioning our team: from a Super Bowl-winning dynasty led by Joe Gibbs to mediocrity under Norv Turner, Washington fans have stood by their team. Losing seasons and playoff failures haven't shaken our perpetual optimism that next season will always be better.
However, many people, among them notable and respected voices in sports, seriously doubt whether the Redskins will ever be successful again if some key features of the organization as it exists today do not change. The problem, manifested in all areas of the team, is one of culture. It's a top-down phenomenon starting with owner Dan Snyder and VP Vinny Cerrato. Management is too authoritarian: Messrs. Snyder and Cerrato control all personnel decisions and have left their coaches very little room to build a successful team. The front office will pay any exorbitant sum to acquire specific talent. Inexplicably, however, many players fizzle once in Washington and go on to success once they have gone. The organization's defects have become especially apparent in the way it treats its fans. Despite being one of the most profitable sports teams in the world, the Redskins have consistently exploited our loyalty, charging outrageous prices for merchandise, tickets, and even parking for training camp. By now the team is infamous for suing its own season ticket holders into bankruptcy.
Realizing these critical flaws, as fans we have decided that what we're getting back from this team is not worth the money, time, and emotion we put into it. As long as the Washington Redskins have been a proud and noble franchise, we have supported it -- through its successes and its failures. This is no longer the case.
We're going to stop financially supporting the Redskins until its deep-seated organizational problems change. And we're going to get as many true Redskins fans as we can to join us.
We still support the team, but we won't be spending money again until we see the following changes:
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.
Signing the pledge indicates you agree with the above and are joining us in halting our monetary support for the Redskins. By signing, you'll help us get an idea of how much our exodus is costing Mr. Snyder. Nothing short of a reality check on the bottom line is going to clue him in that he needs to let someone else manage football operations.
And [long time hardcore fans] all hate Snyder. Every one of them. There isn't a longtime fan I know who likes Snyder. They constantly complain about how he abuses their dedication.
Wealthy kid with every advantage -- brains, pedigree, expensive "tutors" to write term papers for him -- who flunks out of school through sheer, unyielding arrogance. Yet remains rich. So who really cares about failing? Grade: F-minus
The players, who spoke on condition that their names not be used, said they had hoped management would soon release a statement endorsing Zorn to silence any doubts about his immediate future to eliminate what they said has become a daily distraction.
Many players were upset that Portis felt emboldened enough to make such a request [asking for Sellers to be benched], sources said, but the incident also served to highlight an apparent broader unhappiness with the running back among many of his teammates, who believe he holds himself to a different standard than them and often has simply chosen not to practice. These players say that Portis's behavior stems in part from his close relationship, at least in prior seasons, with Snyder.
"There's enough blame to go around, but let's start at the top with the owner, Dan Snyder, because he thinks you can win the Super Bowl by spending the most money the first day of free agency, and that's never worked," Sharpe said Sunday. "Then you have Vinny Cerrato. He has a situation where he has a radio show. I don't think a player personnel or general manager should talk about the inner workings of what's happening in the organization.