In one of the most scathing rebukes to date of Redskins owner Daniel Snyder by a former Redskins player, Hall of Fame running back John Riggins relentlessly targeted Snyder during an appearance on Showtime’s Inside The NFL.
Via Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post, here’s a taste of what Riggins had to say.
“[T]his is a bad guy that owns this team,” Riggins said of Snyder. “I’ll just tell you that
upfront. Bad guy. And if the Commissioner is worried about potential
new owners and saying some of these guys shouldn’t apply, he might want
to police his own inside guys.”
Asked by host James Brown why Snyder is a “bad guy,” Riggins elaborated.
“Because his business practices, I think. I don’t want to say they
are unethical, but I don’t think it’s a place, a climate that is
created there where people can be successful. It’s driven all by his
ego and everything has to come from him. And I just don’t think you can
be successful in those situations and when you are dealing with someone
with the mindset of a child and yet owns a franchise in the NFL. I
think you have some problems there. . . .
“This person knows nothing about football, absolutely nothing,” Riggins said. “I don’t
think they have a clue how a football team comes together, how it
works. And yet they are the ones that are basically calling all the
shots through a puppet, which is Vinny Cerrato. That is my take on
it. . . . I speak for the fans because these are the people that paid my
salary for all these years. They are the ones that need to know that
this is a bad guy.”
Cris Collinsworth then pointed out that there’s a “fine line” between being a “bad guy” and a “bad G.M.,” and Collinsworth asked Riggins whether he thinks Snyder is a “bad guy.”
Said Riggins: “Let me put it to you this way, Cris, this person’s heart is dark.”
The Redskins declined comment to Steinberg. But how in the world can Snyder or the team stand silent in response to this?
We’re not sure what Snyder should say, but he has to say something, even if it’s, “Lighten up, Riggo baby.”