Latest news with #DanSnyder
Washington Post
30-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Bethesda's second-largest home on the market for $18.75 million
Want to top Dan Snyder? Consider purchasing this Bethesda mansion, which has 26,000 square feet of living space, the most of houses currently for sale in the D.C. area and about 900 more square feet than the eternally-on-the-market property once owned by the former owner of the Washington Commanders. If you count the total space of the Arrowood Road house, including two garages that fit up to seven cars, that square footage rises to more than 34,000, according to the listing. It could be yours for $18.75 million.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colts' Jim Irsay was the NFL's fallible and touchable owner, and his bold voice spelled the end of Dan Snyder
More than two years ago, when reports were flying that embattled Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder was threatening a knives out approach inside the league's fraternity of billionaires, some troubling questions emerged for some of the most powerful decision makers in football. What dirt had Snyder dug up on his fellow owners? Advertisement If he lost his bid to hold onto the Commanders, who would he use it on? And with this threat hanging overhead, who among the owners could take him on publicly? Then came a day in October of 2022, when Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay strode across the lobby of the Conrad hotel in downtown New York like a man with purpose. Taking a path straight into a throng of microphones and recorders, he peered into several cameras. And in a moment that would prove both weighty and unprecedented, he broke ranks with the fraternity and became the league's 'young Turk', effectively sending a message that it was about time for Snyder to gather his things and head for the exit. 'I believe there is merit to removing him as owner of the team,' Irsay said, immediately sending shockwaves through the NFL community. 'There's consideration that he should be removed.' Advertisement More than any other moment before those two sentences — and the word 'merit', which felt like a lightning bolt — it was suddenly clear that Snyder's NFL reign was coming to an end. After the congressional hearings and multiple league investigations and punishments, the penultimate public blow to Snyder was delivered by the pitch perfect messenger: The one owner who didn't have to fear whatever dirt Snyder had, because Irsay's mess was seemingly always out in the open anyway. Sometimes it was aired out intentionally by Irsay himself ... and sometimes aired out unintentionally by Irsay himself. This is the moment I thought of when the news spread on Wednesday that Irsay had died in his sleep at age 65. That one of his last major acts as an NFL owner was to prove that inside the fraternity, the untouchables could be made to be touchable. And at the very least, Irsay was that: fallible and flawed, colorful if not occasionally temperamental. And of course, successful, too. His critics will grumble at that point, remembering the last decade of Colts football as largely a middling struggle to recover from the unexpected retirement of Andrew Luck. But those who have long known Irsay will tell you that he was as frustrated as anyone else with the inability to put it all back together again. He was long haunted by not winning more Super Bowls with Peyton Manning and remained sad about the painful retirement decision that Luck was forced to make. Irsay did right by both players when the end came — releasing Manning so he could find his best late-career fit in the Denver Broncos, and declining to claw back nearly $25 million in signing bonus money that he could have chased down after Luck's career came to an abrupt end. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay (right) was emotional after announcing the team was releasing quarterback Peyton Manning on March 7, 2012. (Sam Riche/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) (MCT via Getty Images) But it's worth remembering that before those events pushed the Colts into the football wilderness, there was a 16-year run of success from 1999 to 2014 that remade Indianapolis into a football city — after a previous 15-year expanse when it had been largely been personified by the Indiana Pacers and Indianapolis 500. While a great deal of that credit will always go to Manning, it can't be forgotten that Irsay hired Bill Polian to build the Colts, and then Polian did exactly that, drafting and molding one of the most exciting offensive teams that the NFL had ever seen. Advertisement Yes, he inherited the team from his father, Robert Irsay. Yes, he was put to work inside the organization — even becoming the team's general manager at 24 — in a bid of nepotism that exists in literally every single NFL franchise in the league. Go into a team headquarters and throw a couple rocks. Eventually, you'll hit one of the owner's kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews. It's just how the league works. But Irsay deserves the respect of having taken the controls and then listening to the advice of some of the smartest people who have shaped the league, bedrock owners like the Pittsburgh Steelers' Dan Rooney and New York Giants' Wellington Mara. Then he took those lessons and hired football people to make football decisions, while also taking the guidance of Rooney and Mara and declaring that his team would be a family affair. That's why after his passing, the question didn't immediately turn to whether the Colts would be put up for sale. Instead, the wheel now goes into the hands of the three daughters he's been preparing to take over for years. That includes the eldest, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, who is expected to take over control of the team, and her two younger sisters, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson. All three have held roles in the franchise for years. It's that kind of legacy plan that will keep the Colts grounded in Indianapolis, without fear of new ownership coming in and shaking things up or possibly even attempting to move entirely decades down the road. And for those who would laugh that off as implausible, there was a time when fans in Baltimore thought that, too. Before Irsay's father left town in one of the ugliest moves in league history. Advertisement That's part of the imperfect lineage, too. As Irsay would point out over the expanse of his life, he was born out of a family shaped by an alcoholic grandfather and then an alcoholic father — then into the hands of Irsay and his long struggle with substance abuse and coping with the deaths of two siblings at a young age. Much of that has been well documented since he was arrested in 2014 for driving under the influence and found with tens of thousands of dollars in cash and prescription drugs, a turning point that led to Irsay getting suspended by the NFL for six games and checking himself into a rehab facility. All of which highlighted a continual challenge that he often talked about openly, shaping his image in a way that called for a wide variety of titles. He could be a colorful, wandering hippy, or sometimes seem broken and struggling with mental health. That included his physical well-being, which had declined in recent years and included a hospitalization in 2024 that the Colts described as 'respiratory' related. But wherever Irsay was at in life, he was often open about it in a way that is uncommon amongst NFL owners. In a fraternity that commonly avoids emotional and mental nakedness, Irsay often had no clothes. And that made him appealing, so long as you could separate that part of him from his football failures over the last 10 years of his life. Advertisement Like most of us, he was a mixed bag. There were wins and losses, successes and failures. He was surely the best of himself and the worst of himself and also something in between. Different people will remember him different ways. And everyone will likely be right in their assessment at least some of the time. Personally, I'll remember him as the flawed, touchable owner who took on Dan Snyder publicly and sent a powerful NFL message when others inside the league's circle of power wouldn't. To borrow from Irsay's fighting stance in 2022, there's merit in that.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Inside How Snyder Draft Meddling Cost Commanders A Late-Round All-Pro
After 25 years of what some call the worst ownership tenure of any sport, Dan Snyder sold the Washington Commanders to a group headed by Josh Smith, owner of the NHL's New Jersey Devils and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. All it took was a record $6 billion, and pressure from the NFL amid accusations of sexual misconduct and shady business practices, and the city of Washington was finally done with Snyder. Advertisement Then it took exactly one season for the franchise to crawl from the proverbial gutter to a Super Bowl contender behind the leadership of new general manager Adam Peters and new head coach Dan Quinn. But a former GM who worked under Snyder related a story about Snyder and the 2015 NFL Draft that seems to sum up the state of the organization under Snyder's leadership. Scot McCloughan served as the GM for the Commanders in 2015 and 2016. He appeared on the Kevin Sheehan Show on TEAM 980 in D.C. this week and wanted to discuss a situation during the 2015 NFL Draft when he wanted to take Maryland wideout Stefon Diggs in the fourth round. 'If I could tell you the story I would, but I can't on radio. I was told I couldn't by the owner,' the former Commanders GM said. 'He was sitting next to me when the scout told me I couldn't take him. I wanted Diggs, he was the highest rated on my board at the time.' Advertisement McCloughan clearly wanted to draft Diggs, a local kid. But for some reason that was not made clear, Snyder overruled his new GM. Washington instead selected Duke wideout Jamison Crowder with the 105th overall pick. He played out four seasons with the franchise before signing with the New York Jets as a free agent in 2019. He also played for the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants before returning to Washington in 2023. Crowder was a fine player for the franchise for a number of seasons, but he was no Stefon Diggs. Diggs is entering his 11th season after being selected in the fifth round by the Minnesota Vikings. He's made four Pro Bowls, one First-Team All-Pro and one Second-Team All-Pro. In 2020, he led the league in both receptions and receiving yards. Crowder never made any Pro Bowls or postseason honors in the NFL. Related: Caleb Bombshell Highlights Commanders Luck With Jayden Related: Commanders Top Pick Non-'Red Flag' Injury Issue Revealed
The Herald Scotland
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
2025 NFL schedule: Five teams that deserve more prime-time games
But despite parity continuing to run strong in the standings, there's hardly a level playing field when it comes to who is afforded the limelight. The most recognizable brands are sure to be featured heavily on the schedule, which leads to standalone windows being dominated by the likes of the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and a select group of other organizations proven to be a sizable draw. And with teams no longer guaranteed at least one prime-time game per year, some franchises - typically those outside a major market and coming off an uninspiring season - can get the stiff-arm from the league's schedule-makers. With the NFL schedule set to be released Wednesday, here are five teams that deserve more prime-time games this season than they were allotted a year ago: This might be your new prime-time darling for 2025. Dan Snyder's exit brought plenty of jubilation for Washington fans, but expectations were still relatively muted heading into the first year of an expansive reset. Maybe they shouldn't have been. Behind Jayden Daniels' almost immediate star turn and first-year coach Dan Quinn managing to get nearly every position group to overperform, the Commanders rocketed into the franchise's first NFC title game appearance since 1991. After bold trades to secure five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and dynamic wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr., Washington has gone from scheduling afterthought to a likely main attraction. With the opportunity to spotlight one of the league's most exciting young quarterbacks in Daniels, expect the league to make the Commanders a fixture of the evening slate. The big-market rivalries of the NFC East will always prove alluring, but Washington's schedule also features several matchups against other teams on the upswing led by promising young passers, such as the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos. And beyond the two divisional tilts against the defending-champion Philadelphia Eagles, taking on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium and hosting the Detroit Lions should help reveal whether Quinn's crew is ready to affirm its place among the select few capable of seizing the conference crown. Minnesota Vikings For the last decade-plus, the Vikings have oscillated between NFC contender and also-ran, with the franchise not having posted consecutive playoff appearances since 2008-09. Counting on Minnesota to replicate - or improve upon - last season's 14-win output might seem far-fetched, especially as the reins are handed to a second-year quarterback whose entire rookie campaign was lost to injury. But it's a direction that reigning NFL Coach of the Year Kevin O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have embraced, and the league's schedule-makers should follow suit. After sitting out last season due to a torn meniscus suffered in the preseason, J.J. McCarthy figures to be the league's ultimate quarterback wild card for 2025. Despite the uncertainty surrounding last year's No. 10 overall pick in the NFL draft, the Vikings stood firm behind him this offseason by letting Sam Darnold leave after a career year. McCarthy was never tasked with serving as the offensive engine at Michigan, but he still led the Wolverines to a national championship while showing glimpses suggesting he was capable of more than what he demonstrated in limited opportunities. Yet while McCarthy's play will prove instrumental in determining the course of the season, the Vikings' fate won't hinge entirely on an unproven entity behind center. O'Connell's steady hand as a play-caller raises the floor for the team, as does Justin Jefferson's ability to stand out amid even the shakiest of circumstances. Meanwhile, Brian Flores might have one of the few defenses that could be described as appointment television given the unit's knack for creating chaos. The league seemed slightly wary of promoting Minnesota in the lead-up to last season, initially giving the organization just two prime-time slots. No such hesitance should be necessary this time around, as the Vikings have earned a wealth of exclusive windows as they navigate what could be the NFL's most cutthroat division in the NFC North. Chicago Bears Good brand, bad football. For some time, that's been the book on the Bears, who despite not having enjoyed a winning season since 2018 have typically been granted three or four prime-time windows per year. The arrival of No. 1 pick Caleb Williams was supposed to change the outlook in Chicago for the foreseeable future. But a "Sunday Night Football" snoozer in Week 2 against the Houston Texans served as a harbinger for another flop of a campaign, which featured Matt Eberflus' historic in-season firing and a 10-game losing streak. The latest promise of a new day should be met with the appropriate skepticism. But the extent of this overhaul merits excitement from a national audience. With Ben Johnson taking over as head coach and play-caller, the Bears now have the mastermind of the league's highest-scoring offense at the helm. And thanks to the interior offensive line being completely remade via veteran acquisitions, Williams now should be able to operate with far more comfort than he did during his debut campaign, in which his 68 sacks taken were the third most by any quarterback in a single season. He will first be tasked with mastering the intricacies of Johnson's system, but the head coach has also voiced interest in tapping into the creativity and playmaking ability that helped Williams become the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and one of the most touted passing prospects in recent years. While that's a tantalizing layout for the NFL's schedule-makers, it also poses a tricky dynamic. Put the team in prime time too early in the season, and the result might be a look at a project still under construction. Put them in late, and there's no guarantee the group will be relevant in the postseason chase. Still, a fascinating collection of pieces certainly warrants widespread attention. A bump from last year's total of three prime-time games seems like a virtual lock. While Robert Kraft was bullish about his plan to move on from Bill Belichick, the architects of the NFL's schedule seemed to have more significant doubts. Despite the intrigue about how the franchise would chart a new course after parting with a legend, New England's lone prime-time offering in 2024 was a Week 3 "Thursday Night Football" showing against the New York Jets. But with Kraft having replaced Jerod Mayo with Mike Vrabel in January and the Patriots having undergone an extensive personnel shift after a 4-13 thud of a season, maybe the league will buy into New England's second attempt at a rebirth. Understandably, there's likely limited immediate appeal in showcasing an offense that finished in the bottom three for both yards and points for the last two seasons. But with at least modest improvements in protection and skill-position support, Drake Maye should be much better situated to show off the big-play flair that only occasionally glimmered in his trying rookie run. And with Josh McDaniels returning for his third stint as offensive coordinator with the organization - albeit under a new staff - Maye will have the benefit of working with someone capable of adapting the scheme to his unique talents. Kraft has been clawing for a return to playoff contention, and that level might prove unreachable in Year 1 of the latest reset. But Vrabel and the rest of the current setup will provide a spark that has been absent since Tom Brady departed, and that might be good enough for at least a second prime-time slot. Yes, really. The Panthers were the lone team held out of prime time last year, with the Berlin matchup against the New York Giants serving as the franchise's sole standalone window in 2024. And while Carolina likely won't produce spiking Nielsen ratings as the franchise tries to figure out how to be merely competitive, they shouldn't be fully shunned yet again. After enduring what seemed like it could be a career-defining benching in Week 2, Bryce Young managed to not only make his way back to the starting lineup for good but also thrive. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft took advantage of his significantly improved protection to become a more assertive and efficient downfield passer. There was only so much room to grow with an underdeveloped receiving corps, but first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan could help Young continue his ascent by providing him with the jump-ball winner he has lacked in his first two years. Limited improvements to a defense that ranked last in yards allowed per play (6.0) and scoring (31.4 points allowed per game) likely leave Carolina ill-equipped to navigate most of the shootouts it will inevitably face. But pitting Young against another promising young quarterbacks - maybe the Atlanta Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. or Maye and the Patriots - seems like solid "Thursday Night Football" fare. All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
Washington Post
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Bowser, Goodell and Harris become Trump's unwitting cheerleaders
This president cares so much about appearances. And the Washington Commanders, the NFL and D.C.'s very own mayor gave him his hero shot for the day. They did so awkwardly and probably unwittingly inside the Oval Office. But there they were: the billionaire team owner, the powerful league commissioner and the liberal mayor, all demoted to minimum-wage extras filling the background. Nothing more than political props for a president who uses sports as his shield.
