It’s rare to find someone who will say good things about Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder these days. Most fans despise how Snyder has run the franchise during his 24 years as the owner. In addition, there are the multiple investigations into Snyder, ranging from presiding over a toxic workplace for two decades to alleged financial improprieties.
Snyder certainly hasn’t made it easy on anyone during his tenure as owner. In the early years, he got by with things because “he wanted to win so bad.” That worked for a while with fans.
But, when the team would feel like it hit rock bottom, Snyder could always find a way to reel Washington fans — those who remained — back in. Whether it was Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Shanahan, or the big one, Joe Gibbs, Snyder could hire good coaches. After the 2019 season, he did it again, hiring the respected Ron Rivera to run a “coach-centric” model. That meant Rivera would be in charge of the football side of the building.
Rivera has gone through a lot in his three seasons as head coach. From battling cancer to the team changing its name — twice and all of the aforementioned investigations and the questions surrounding them.
Now, the team is for sale, and the Commanders should have a new owner before they report to training camp this summer.
At the NFL owners meetings in March, Ben Standig of The Athletic caught up with Rivera to discuss his time in Washington and what’s ahead.
One of the things Standig discussed with Rivera was his relationship with Snyder.
“You gotta give Dan Snyder credit for being truthful with me, sticking to what he promised,” Rivera said. “I mean it.”
While some will criticize every Snyder move — deservedly so in many cases — he has stuck by his promises to Rivera. One could argue that it’s because of everything the owner has battled in the past three years, but that’s not what’s important to Rivera. When Rivera needed something on the football side, Snyder delivered.
Rivera also touched on a personal subject, his battle with cancer. And Snyder was there for him and his wife, Stephanie.
“I get cancer. He’s at the doctor’s office,” Rivera said. “OK, he went through cancer. And he explained to me, ‘Hey, you’re going to be fine. Just hang in there.’ You know, he called people at Johns Hopkins. He called people at (Cleveland Clinic) and got their opinion. He didn’t have to do that.”
Some may not want to hear this, but there’s a personal side that sometimes the public doesn’t know about. That’s not to defend Snyder but to see things from Rivera’s perspective.
Rivera went on to discuss his mother’s passing and how Snyder was there for him.
Finally, Rivera said the following regarding Snyder:
“Why can’t we go off of the person he is right now?”
Remember, Rivera is speaking only on his dealings with Snyder. It would be hard for those who worked for Snyder or felt wronged by Snyder to feel the same way.
Rivera discussed more with Standig, who also interviewed team president Jason Wright, which is absolutely worth checking out here.