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Here’s a Ridiculous Story About Dan Snyder’s Fragile Ego

In Wednesday’s Hot Clicks: a pathetic story about Washington’s terrible owner, Stephen Curry finally passes Ray Allen and more.

Dan Gartland

Here’s a Ridiculous Story About Dan Snyder’s Fragile Ego
Here’s a Ridiculous Story About Dan Snyder’s Fragile Ego /

This is so incredibly petty

The Washington Post published a story Tuesday that reinforces something that every NFL observer has known for years: Washington owner Dan Snyder should be thrown out of the league.

The focus of the article is on Snyder’s reported attempts to intimidate witnesses who NFL investigators sought to speak to about allegations of sexual misconduct by Snyder, including accusations that private investigators hired by Snyder showed up unannounced at the homes of former employees. (Two members of Congress have asked the NFL for information related to Snyder’s alleged interference in the investigation.)

The report is a chilling account of the lengths to which the rich and powerful will go to insulate themselves from the consequences of their actions. But it also contains what is, frankly, a hilarious anecdote about what a pathetic, thin-skinned loser Synder is.

The Post story (which is really worth reading in full) also details Snyder’s relentless efforts to unmask people responsible for planting negative (and, in one case, untrue) stories about him in the media. Snyder, according to the Post, began to suspect former president and general manager Bruce Allen was to blame. This is where things get funny. Snyder had fired Allen after the 2019 season and apparently held a grudge against him for shockingly petty reasons.

From the Post:

Snyder’s grievances with Allen ranged from conspiratorial to petty, according to court records and legal communications reviewed by The Post. Snyder suggested in court filings that Allen was involved in a conspiracy to defame him with the Epstein stories. But according to people with knowledge of their relationship and text messages reviewed by The Post, Snyder also was offended that Allen had never sent Snyder a text message congratulating him on hiring coach Ron Rivera.

In January 2020, after the news conference announcing Rivera’s hire, according to these people, Snyder learned that Allen had sent a congratulatory text to Rivera. Snyder was insulted, these people said, that he didn’t receive a similar text from Allen, whom Snyder had fired a few weeks before.

Later that year, the team, citing the pandemic, attempted to get out of paying Allen all of the money he was owed under his contract. Allen fought back, and Snyder agreed to pay his full salary. But in a message sent to Allen’s lawyers over settlement terms, one of Snyder’s lawyers included a condition that Allen wouldn’t agree to meet, according to text messages reviewed by The Post.

“In addition, I understand that Mr. Allen has agreed to send a text message to Mr. Snyder stating, ‘Congrats on the hire,’” Snyder’s attorney wrote in July 2020, seven months after Snyder hired Rivera. Allen’s lawyers resolved the pay dispute, but he never sent this text, according to a person with knowledge of the case.

To recap: Snyder fired Allen. Snyder hired Ron Rivera to coach the team Allen was no longer in charge of. Allen texted Rivera to congratulate him. Snyder wanted a congratulatory text from Allen, the guy he had just fired two days earlier. Snyder tried to withhold money Allen was owed. In order to be paid that money, Snyder wanted Allen to text him “congrats on the hire” seven months after the fact.

That is seriously unhinged behavior. How much of an egomaniac do you have to be to think you deserve congratulations from the guy you just fired? Imagine if you got fired from your job and two days later your boss wanted you to praise them for hiring somebody else.

It’s certainly possible that Snyder really wanted that congratulatory text seven months later, but it’s equally likely that the real reason he wanted Allen to send it was purely to humiliate Allen by forcing him to do something he clearly didn't want to do. 

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Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

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