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duke1861
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How Gruden email leaks led to Snyder's demise
The October 2021 leaks of Jon Gruden's toxic emails triggered a series of events that forced Dan Snyder to sell the Commanders. Sources interviewed by ESPN connect the leaks to Snyder, but they also say a larger cast of people might have been involved.
I am not shocked at the story to say the least, but surprised this was printed. Many posters here stated that Snyder was going to attempt to blackmail the league or threaten the owners. If these sources are valid (it appears many are unnamed). Here are my thoughts:
1. It makes sense that Snyder was behind the leak. He wanted to distract the NFL and media away from his actions, as such, he thought he could come off as the hero and savior of the NFL by exposing racism with Gruden. Racism or homophobia cannot be tolerated, but let's be clear, Snyder didn't leak the emails in the name of social justice. Gruden was a means to end and would be sacrificed so that Snyder could walk away clean.
2. If true, this does not paint Goodell in a good light. The theory that Goodell was intimidated by Snyder might actually be true. It does seem that Goodell did NOT fall for the phony act of repentance of Snyder and did not let him back in the owners meeting after the leak. The fact that the owners apparently didn't act on any of this until the end is sickening. It appears Goodell and his office lied and or kept the truth from some owners. If the "blackmail slide" story is true, I have lost all respect for the NFL...the little I had. I don't want to hear anymore cracks on Irsay...he was the only owner with guts here.
3. I will say it again and will take some heat on here, but if this was printed and no sale was finalized, I would be gone. You can call me weak or "not a true fan" like Dean has, but I could not support an organization with Snyder as the owner. We have lost fans for a number of reasons, but what Snyder has done cannot be overlooked. I don't care what Dean says about Snyder not being the reason for the fans not coming back and that we should "focus on what is on the field". That is not true at all. Ignoring the actions of the front office to make you feel better as a fan is irresponsible.
It is impossible to support a team and not support the owner in my opinion. It is not "our" team...it is a business and owned by the owner. We are simply fans or "fanatics" of that business. You have to take away emotion and look at it as a business. No other sports organization has had an owner like Snyder and hopefully, they won't. Snyder makes Stirling and Richardson look like boy scouts. Needless to say, I am ashamed of this organization.
4. Harris/Magic have a massive uphill climb and I hope they can do it. I think they should start from day 1 to clean up everything Snyder touched. That does include getting rid of Rivera and other front office leftovers from Snyder. We need a clean break and must sever ties that Snyder had. THis is much deeper than what our team does this year. Kinda reminds me of the Marshall football team the year after the plane crash. That is overkill but if this story is true....we have literally had the most corrupt organization in American pro sports history. I am cheering for Harris/Magic!