Tag: Dan Snyder

Steve Apostolopoulos says he’s still in the running to buy the Commanders

Steve Apostolopoulos says he remains in the mix to buy the Washington Commanders.

Earlier this month, Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder agreed in principle to sell the storied NFL franchise to Josh Harris.

The deal was later sent to the NFL, and many expect it to be approved. However, until it is approved, the agreement was non-exclusive, meaning Snyder could accept another bid for more than the Harris group’s $6.05 billion bid.

But, according to Canadian businessman Steve Apostolopoulos, he’s still alive in the bidding process, which he says is a “head-to-head process right now,” in an appearance on the Squawk Box of CNBC.

Apostolopoulos is the managing partner of Triple Group of Companies and the founder of the private equity firm Six Ventures.

“I am still in the hunt, yes,” Apostolopoulos said.

When pressed on how close his bid was to Harris’ reported $6.05 billion bid, Apostolopoulos offered the following:

“It’s hard to say right now, as it’s a live process,” he said. “I really don’t feel real comfortable saying too, too much; I want to respect the process. But it is a head-to-head process right now.”

As of now, Harris still remains the frontrunner to be the Commanders’ next owner. But if Apostolopoulos can outbid the Harris group and Bank of America sees his bid as legit, this process remains alive until Snyder and Harris sign their agreement, and the other NFL owners approve.

Commanders named as the top team that should ‘update their uniforms’

Most fans would agree.

The Washington Commanders unveiled their new brand on Feb. 2, 2022, to much fanfare. While the organization has claimed it was one of the more successful rebrands in sports, fans and analysts would strongly disagree.

Unfortunately for Washington, there is negativity that surrounds everything the organization does. That’s because of owner Daniel Snyder. With Snyder expected to sell the team soon, there’s hope that fans return to supporting the team.

However, for many fans, supporting the current version of the Washington NFL franchise is difficult because they do not like the name. Others do not like the uniforms. A large portion of the fan base hopes the next owner changes the name again. While that seems unlikely, you never know until that owner — presumed to be Josh Harris — speaks on the topic.

When the team rebranded last year, it adopted a third alternate jersey. They were the first all-black uniforms in the franchise’s storied history. While there were some aspects that were nice, others not so much. The same goes for Washington’s home and away uniforms.

The Arizona Cardinals unveiled new uniforms last week to mixed reviews. That led to Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports coming up with a list of five teams who should consider updating their uniforms. And despite having the newest uniforms in the NFL, the Commanders were No. 1 on Benjamin’s list.

Notice a trend here? Like the Falcons, the Commanders are just getting used to their updated uniforms, revealing their current look in 2022 while transitioning from the Washington Football Team label. And like the Falcons, their issue isn’t the colors — burgundy and gold have been well-regarded staples of the franchise — but the presentation of them. Substituting the Falcons’ oversized “ATL” chest label for a wordier “Commanders” ID on the home jerseys, their away uniforms also ditch shoulder numbers for a busy color pattern, making for an outfit lineup that looks precisely like one you’d find on a last-minute expansion team.

This is not the first time we’ve heard the term “expansion team” in relation to the Commanders. One issue with the rebrand was last year’s team felt like an expansion team with no history. Some fans felt no connection to the team’s storied past other than some of their favorite current players. Some of the franchise’s legends have distanced themselves from the Commanders due to the name — and Snyder.
The thing fans want most is a winner. If Washington can become a consistent winner again, things such as the name and uniforms will not matter too much. However, the franchise probably shouldn’t expect some portion of the fan base to ever like the name or uniforms.

Another time the Commanders owner intruded into the NFL draft

Vinny Cerrato checks in with his draft stories involving Dan Snyder.

Grant and Danny hosted former Washington player personnel director Vinny Cerrato last Friday.

Cerrato told a story of how Washington owner Daniel Snyder again intruded into the draft, demanding Cerrato to draft a certain player.

The setting was the 2008 NFL draft. Joe Gibbs had retired following the 2007 season playoff loss at Seattle. Snyder for some very bizarre reason, hired Jim Zorn to be the offensive coordinator before there was a head coach. This meant the new head coach would not even be permitted to hire his own offensive coordinator.

Consequently, Snyder had extreme difficulty finding anyone to take the head coaching job. So, embarrassingly, Snyder then made Zorn the head coach, though he had yet to be a coordinator in the NFL.

When the 2008 draft came, Cerrato traded out of the first round, giving the Redskins three second-round selections. At No. 34, he took Michigan State wide receiver, Devin Thomas.

Snyder then inquired to Cerrato whom he was going to select. Washington held the No. 48 and 51 selections. Cerrato told Grant and Danny that on that day he conveyed to Snyder he was wanting to draft Jamaal Charles a running back out of Texas.

However, Snyder, according to Cerrato, wanted receivers for Jim Zorn’s offense, voiced for Cerrato to take Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly. Cerrato says he disagreed and again said he wanted to take Charles.

What was missing in Cerrato’s version of the story is that Washington actually had another selection where Cerrato took USC tight end Fred Davis at No. 48.

Once again Cerrato said Snyder insisted the No. 51 selection be Kelly. So Cerrato surrendered and chose Kelly. Wouldn’t you know it? Kelly was already battling a knee issue, only caught 28 passes for his brief career, and never caught a touchdown pass.

Charles on the other hand was chosen by the Chiefs in the third round at the No. 73 selection. He provided the Chiefs 9 NFL seasons rushing for 7,260 yards, 43 rushing touchdowns averaging a HUGE 5.5 yards per carry.

But hey, Cerrato knows he is not clear from blame for the poor 2008 Washington draft. Thomas only caught 3 touchdown passes and 43 receptions overall in his unspectacular career. Davis had two good seasons (2009, 2011) before his career went south. He caught 162 passes, 13 for touchdowns.

Thomas had been chosen at No. 34 while Jordy Nelson (36th) and Matt Forte (44th) would have both been much better additions to the Washington offense.

Even more frustrating, DeSean Jackson was taken by the Eagles at 49, and Calais Campbell by the Cardinals the very next two picks after Cerrato took Davis at 48.

Oh well, this is the legacy of Daniel Snyder, the people he hired, and how he intruded into football matters.

Ron Rivera calls Commanders’ sale ‘a little bittersweet’

Ron Rivera talks about Washington’s pending ownership change and how he felt when initially hearing the news.

Ron Rivera has been through a lot since taking over as the Washington Commanders head coach after the 2019 season. From COVID-19 to dealing with cancer during his first season as coach, Rivera has faced plenty of adversity, much of it surrounding controversial owner Daniel Snyder.

With last week’s announcement that Snyder had an agreement in principle to sell the Commanders to Josh Harris for $6.05 billion, you’d think everyone in the entire organization, specifically Rivera, would be relieved this chapter would soon be ending.

He is — sort of.

Wait, what?

You see, Rivera is old school. When he was hired as Washington’s head coach, Snyder made him multiple promises. Promises, that Rivera said he always kept. That matters to Rivera. Rivera has heard everything about Snyder. He’s not defended Snyder, but he’s a little tired of hearing about the past.

In an interview at the NFL owners meetings last month, Rivera noted how Snyder had been there for him in some of the most difficult times of his life.

When the news broke of Snyder reaching a deal with Harris to potentially become Washington’s next owner, Rivera described it as “a little bittersweet.”

“So, for me, it’s a little bittersweet,” Rivera said to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “Because I understand it. I understand what happens, what it means to people, how it affects people, the impact on the organization itself. Those are all things that I’ve kind of had to go through in my own mind. And, again, not to disrespect or downplay what all these other people have gone through; it’s just that the guy that I’ve dealt with is a different person to me.

Rivera then explained his relationship with Snyder.

“He’s really helped me. When I got sick, he was there, and helped me and my family. My mother passed away recently; he was there to help me out, getting back to the funeral and being there for my dad. So that’s the guy I know. And that’s why when people ask me, ‘How do you feel about this?’ That’s what I say; it’s bittersweet. ’Cause again, this is the guy that’s been nice to me. He’s been there. So that’s hard for me.”

There will be some who criticize Rivera, but that’s just silly. As Rivera said before, perhaps Snyder has changed. Perhaps he has learned some very valuable lessons over the last three years. Regardless, Snyder needed to go. And he should’ve been gone long ago, but that doesn’t mean Rivera is wrong for feeling the way he does about Snyder.

Rivera did acknowledge he’s happy for his players, specifically because they won’t face the repeated ownership questions and can focus only on football moving forward.

Attorneys for former Washington employees ask the NFL, owners to bar Dan Snyder from suing accusers

Lawyers representing more than 40 former Washington employees asked Roger Goodell and the NFL to bar Dan Snyder from suing his accusers as a part of the team’s sale.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and multiple owners have reportedly received requests from the attorneys representing more than 40 former Washington employees to prohibit Commanders owner Daniel Snyder from suing his accusers as a provision for the sale of the franchise, according to Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

Here’s an excerpt of the letter from attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz:

As you can imagine, we were happy to learn last week that there appears to be a deal in principle for the sale of the Washington Commanders, which will ensure that Daniel Snyder will no longer be able to exert his malign influence over team employees, the Washington area community, or the National Football League.

We understand that the League and other team owners must review and approve the terms of any sale between Mr. Snyder and the new ownership group. In doing so, we request that you and the NFL owners demand that the sale agreement includes a contractual provision that forbids Mr. Snyder from initiating litigation against any of the individuals who participated in the various investigations into the team, including but not limited to our 40 [plus] clients.

Clients of Banks and Katz were interviewed as a part of the NFL’s investigation into Snyder, led by Mary Jo White, and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s probe, which wrapped in late last year. 

White’s investigation is expected to conclude at any moment, and Goodell has promised to release the results whether Snyder sells the team or not. 

Snyder has reportedly declined to be interviewed by White in her investigation.

The Commanders bid from Brian Davis raises questions

Much more has been revealed about Brian Davis since his alleged $7 billion bid for the Commanders.

Josh Harris is going to be the next majority owner of the Washington Commanders.

Yet, it is former Duke basketball player Brian Davis that is making the most news. Reports were that Davis had offered to buy the Commanders on March 21 and that the bid was $7 billion. In CASH!

Note: Davis has raised the level of suspicion by the Washington media and fan base. However, Davis is going to have an opportunity to tell his side of the story Wednesday, when he is scheduled to be a guest on The Sports Junkies (106.7 The Fan) in the 8:00 a.m. ET hour.

Darren Haynes of WUSA 9 in Washington reported Tuesday that Brian Davis’s funds actually originated from the Middle East. If in fact Davis has been provided the money by the Middle East, does this still raise questions for the NFL owners?

Davis, in 2006, made an effort to buy the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies but missed the deadline, not able to come up with the funds. So, how in the world is it possible for Davis to have much more ($7B) and in cash?

Additionally, when Davis made the $7B offer, one of the first questions out there was why would Davis offer $7B and not a more calculating and wise $6.25B or $6.35B?

Reports have surfaced that Davis has been sued for failure to pay back loans several times. In one such instance, Davis raised money in the effort to purchase the Grizzlies but did not pay back the loan and was sued by former Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen.

Former Maryland Terrapin and San Diego Charger Shawn Merriman sued Davis for failing to pay on loans for property in Maryland and won the suit against Davis.

NFL owners have had problems with Daniel Snyder’s bad publicity. Would the NFL now determine to do business with Brian Davis whose business practices have resulted in his being sued and losing suits?

Don’t the NFL owners want this transaction and the next era for the Washington franchise to go much smoother? Doesn’t the NFL need this next Washington owner to come with a good enough business reputation to regain the trust of this fan base that less than a decade ago had the number one home attendance in the NFL?

This is simply a succinct sketch. For a much fuller, detailed treatment, see the Al Galdi Podcast episode 552 (Tuesday edition) where Galdi welcomed guest Arif Hasan. Hasan provided what Galdi described as a “surgical dissection of Brian Davis’ shady past.”

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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke to prospective new Commanders owner Josh Harris last week

Goodell spoke to Harris a day before news broke of Snyder’s preliminary agreement to sell the franchise.

Fans of Washington’s NFL franchise — new and old — were ready to celebrate last week when news broke that owner Daniel Snyder had agreed in principle to sell the Commanders to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris.

However, the deal was far from done, as it was considered non-exclusive, meaning Snyder could still entertain other bids. Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos still believed he was in the mix at the time the news broke regarding Harris.

In Peter King’s weekly column for NBC Sports titled “Football Morning in America,” he gave Washington fans more hope when he said Harris spoke with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last Wednesday. It was Thursday when the news hit that Snyder and Harris had reached a preliminary deal.

Why would this be significant?

From King:

When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the leader of the prospective new-owner group, Josh Harris, spoke on Wednesday, no one knew exactly what the topic was. But as one ownership source told me over the weekend, “Calls like that would be Harris saying he had a tentative deal with Snyder.” I believe that’s likely, and word spread through ownership circles that, basically, Ding dong, the witch is dead. Snyder’s selling!

There you have it.

Everyone knows Snyder is selling, and it’s happening soon. And it certainly sounds like Harris is inching closer to becoming Washington’s next owner.

Josh Harris’ bid for the Washington Commanders sent to NFL for review

The Washington Commanders are one step closer to having a new owner.

Are we one step closer to the Washington Commanders having a new owner?

Last week, owner Daniel Snyder reached a preliminary agreement to sell the Commanders to a group led by Josh Harris for $6.05 billion. The deal was considered non-exclusive, which means another group can still top Harris’ bid.

Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos is reportedly still alive in the bidding, but Harris’s group, which includes fellow billionaire Mitchell Rales and NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, remains in the driver’s seat.

What happens next?

According to Sportico’s Scott Soshnick, who broke the story, the NFL will review the deal and send it back to both parties to sign. Once signed, it will then be resubmitted to the NFL for final approval. This is where the rest of the owners vote to approve the deal.

The target date for a vote could be May 22-24, when the owners convene in Minneapolis for the next league meeting.

Fan-driven stadium guide considers FedEx Field the worst in almost everything

A new stadium is one of the next owner’s top priorities.

When the then-Washington Redskins played their final NFL game at RFK Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 22, 1996, there was sadness amongst longtime fans.

One, the team was leaving the District of Columbia to play in Prince Georges’s County, Maryland. It was strange for Washington’s NFL not to play home games in D.C.

However, there was hope that the new stadium, initially named Jack Kent Cooke Stadium after the team’s legendary owner, would create a new home-field advantage for the future due to its size. The new stadium would hold around 80,000 seats, making it the largest in the NFL.

Unfortunately, things didn’t play out as envisioned and FedEx Field — the name since owner Dan Snyder sold the naming rights in 1999 — has routinely been called the worst stadium in the NFL.

The reasons for FedEx Field’s issues are endless. Much of it was due to Snyder, but not all of it. The location, traffic, parking, fan experience, etc. The stadium has been a nightmare, coinciding with plenty of bad football through the years.

SeatGeek, a prominent ticket platform that sells tickets for live events, has a fan-driven model it uses for stadium guides in different professional sports. To determine how each stadium ranks, SeatGeek asked 3,200 fans what they look forward to at each home game.

As expected, FedEx Field didn’t fare too well.

There are three categories in which stadiums are judged. Here is the list and where Washington ranked on each:

  • Atmosphere: 3.0 [ranked 32 of 32]
  • Food: 2.9 [ranked 32 of 32]
  • Bathrooms: 3.2 [ranked 30 of 32]

Hey, at least the bathrooms aren’t the worst.

In all seriousness, when Josh Harris takes over as Washington’s next owner — if the deal is finalized and he isn’t outbid at the last second — his No. 1 priority will be landing a new stadium. Fortunately, Harris and his partners are a capable group that should be able to get the job done.

Unfortunately for Washington fans, the franchise is bound to FedEx Field until at least 2027. But perhaps, a new ownership group can continue to make more positive, fan-friendly improvements until that time. There were positive developments in this area in 2022 under team president Jason Wright and his group.

Bieniemy meets with Commanders fans

This was a smart move by the Commanders.

Not only was it Thursday when the news broke that Daniel Snyder had agreed in principle to sell the team, but the team also conducted a VIP event.

News broke in the afternoon Snyder had agreed to terms with Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris. Thursday evening, new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was meeting with some fans sharing some of his plans for the Commanders in the upcoming 2023 season.

Bieniemy, the former offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs for five seasons under head coach Andy Reid enters his first NFL season where he will be the unquestioned man in charge of an NFL offense. Head coach Ron Rivera has already publicly gone on record that Bieniemy will be THE coordinator and assistant head coach.

Bieniemy met with interested fans Thursday evening, conveying his vision for the team. Johnny Grassi of the Commanders estimated there were 100+ fans in attendance at the event, conducted at FedEx Field. There were no ticket fees for the event.

This was a good move by the Commanders, putting Bieniemy out there soon after his arrival. It allowed some of the fans to meet him and hear his philosophy, vision and desires for the offense and team.

It would be good public relations for the Commanders to host a few more of these before the preseason schedule begins in August. Perhaps a panel of the new ownership might be very welcomed soon.

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