Here is what Greg Blache had to say about John Riggins’ comments about Dan Snyder via both video from CSN Washington and the transcript from Redskins PR.
I gave my thoughts on this matter this morning, so I’ll pass it along without comment.
“This morning when I came in, I turned my computer on and I was looking at Pro Football Talk and I saw a comment that John Riggins had made about Mr. Snyder and it really bothered me the more I sat there at my desk because there has been a lot of criticism about him over the last few weeks. This is a man I’ve known for six years, since I’ve been here. And in the six years, I’ve never seen John Riggins here. I met him once at the Beach Blitz down in Virginia Beach – never seen him in the building. So, to hear such a vicious criticism of somebody I consider not just my employer, but a good friend, bothered me.
“As much as I hadn’t been talking to the media, I felt like this was something I needed to do. Somebody needed to stand up and set this record straight. The comment that was made was ‘a dark heart’ – that’s totally, totally untrue. The problem is the fans don’t get to know Mr. Snyder like we do. They get an impression from things that are written and from things that people say. Let me just tell you something, for a person that’s been here for six years, that’s gone to him for things that I needed in my family – there’s times he’s come to me when he’s heard about issues in my family and offered his assistance – is unsurpassed. He’s one of the most generous, kind individuals you’ll ever meet.
“My wife and I are involved in Hospice and there’ve been countless times he’s come and helped us with issues and stuff with Hospice. To see that and get the feeling that that’s what everyone on the outside is hearing about this person, I decided it was time to come and set the record straight. It’s enough. It really is. We’ve had criticisms from people outside the building saying who Dan Snyder is and who is isn’t. They don’t know Dan Snyder and that’s the problem. Trust me because he and I, we work together. I’m not going to tell you that this is a utopia. There are no utopias in football, and there are no utopias in life. At the same time, enough is enough. Every story, there is one person’s side, another person’s side, and then behind it all there is a third side and it’s the truth.
“I just felt like it was time for somebody to come and throw a little truth out there. We keep hearing these other sides, these other factions, and to be quite candid, the third side – the truth – is that this person, all he wants to do is win. That’s all he wants to do. He will spend his money, he will spend his time, he wants to win, he is here for the people, for the fans, for the Washington Redskins. Nobody pains more when we are unsuccessful than Dan Snyder. There is nobody that cares more about the fans than Dan Snyder. There is nobody that wants to win here, more than Dan Snyder. I just think that its time to put out there, for you guys to understand, that everything that is wrong with this organization is not Dan Snyder.
“It’s so easy for people that have access to the microphone everyday to point fingers and shuffle it on somewhere else. At the same time, I’m in on a ton of those meetings when decisions are made. A lot of the things that are right here, you can’t go back and say its so-and-so’s fault. Just to set the record straight, I just think it was wrong. I wish the best for Mr. Riggins in all his endeavors and whatever that he does. For me, that was enough. For me to wash my face in the morning and to feel like a man, or to talk to my kids about doing the right thing, I needed to come here and make this comment today. I got no other interests in it. I have a contract for next year so it’s not like I’m trying to dig something up and if they send me home, the way coaches’ contracts are written, they have to pay me anyways. Quite honestly, this is unsolicited, but from the heart and something that I thought I needed to do.”
One has to consider the Riggo Agenda before you can intellectually digest his statements. Is he making these statements as a former player? Fan? Radio Show Host? Does it really matter what John Riggins thinks about the Redskins?
Dan Snyder has created a barrier of ego that has interfered with the efficient operations of this football team. None of the big names (Shanahan, Holmgrem, Cowher, etc) are coming to Washington. First, there are going to be better opportunities (ie San Diego) and clearly Snyder isn’t going to relieve his power to anyone. Second, his thought process is simply flawed when it comes to running this organization. Those will argue he doesn’t know football, but non-football minds can be wildly successful (ie Kraft) if they let the football people take care of football – which, Snyder has not done.
Lastly, Dan Snyder wants fancy 7 on 7 drills and not Oklahoma pad drills that Schottenheimer implemented before he was fired in one season. The problems of this organization do reside with Dan Snyder and until he is willing to trust a seasoned veteran (not named Gibbs) this organization will continue to plummet and fans will still complain shortly after buyiing a new Cooley jersey.
My thoughts: Fire Vinny Cerrato. Snyder gives full authority to Shanahan or Cowher to come in and put these over-paid personalities on yellow school buses. You don’t practice, you don’t play. You don’t believe in the preseason, go play in Oakland. Snyder if you are committed to winning, then do something you haven’t tried, bury your ego on the 50 yd line.
Actually, I’m going to call out Blache on this one. He’s not good enough to go for a weekly press conference, and has to defer to Jerry Gray on that role. But when the kitchen gets hot for the owner, he’s suddenly ready to talk to the press again behind a Redskins podium? I call foul on this one.
I’m not trying to judge Riggins’s situation at all, whether he should have said what he said. But Blache – if you’ve shut down with the media for your NFL-mandated responsibilities, then you cannot step in front of the media again in any official Redskins capacity (whether you were forced by ownership or not). Sorry. Your message is suspect in my eyes.
People are like sheep, they follow whatever the media or ex-player/media says instead of thinking for themselves. This applies to everything, not just sports. I know this is after the fact but we do have a GM now & we do have top notch head coach now, so the 1st person was wrong. Also, think of all the things we no of that Dan Snyder has done for different individuals on the team that were dealing with something and we don’t even know everything. When Sean Taylor died he was amazing & I believe he deserves credit and extra credit for continuing to help the family. He is obviously a generous person and I really think he gets a bad rap more often than not. Now that we have a GM & a winning head coach let’s give Dan, Mike & Bruce a chance. Joe Gibbs is my favorite coach of all time but he was away to long. I don’t think he or what they accomplished gets enough credit.