The Fish Stinks From the Head

THE FISH STINKS FROM THE HEAD

"Whenever something good happens it is because of a leader.  Whenever something bad happens, it is because of a leader."  These are the words of John Maxwell, a prominent figure in the field of leadership development and improvement.  I am writing this blog today because something bad is happening with the Washington DC football franchise, and it IS because of a leader.  

In the interest of full disclosure, I will say that I live in the DC metro area, but I am not a fan of the DC football team.  As one who was born and raised in suburban Baltimore, I was raised as a Colts fan and then followed the Redskins from a distance during the late 80s and early 90s.  Once Baltimore got a team back, there was only one way for me to go:  Ravens all the way.  But as one who lives close to DC and follows DC sports, I feel I can comment on what I see happening to the local NFL franchise.

The Redskins of the 80s and early 90s were a class organization.  Jack Kent Cooke, while he had his flaws, knew how to pick good people and let them do their jobs.  He chose Bobby Beathard as GM and Joe Gibbs as Head Coach.  But more importantly, he kept his hands off and let the football men do the football jobs.  Eleven years of sustained excellence followed, including many playoff appearances and 3 Super Bowl victories.  By any metric, the 80s and early 90s were an unqualified success for the Redskins.  Why did good things happen for the Redskins in those years?  The leaders at the helm made them happen.

Fast forward to the train wreck known as the 2020 Washington Redskins.  For 20 years the Redskins have struggled on the field and off.  They have failed to post 11 wins in any season and have only posted 10 wins twice.  They have made the playoffs 4 times, but never even sniffed the Super Bowl, let alone brought home the grand prize.  Contrast those results with the upstart Baltimore Ravens, who in the same time frame have enjoyed TWELVE playoff appearances, and two Super Bowl victories.

Now we hear of two franchise executives for the (insert new team name here) who have been accused of multiple instances of sexual harassment.  When there are 15 different accusations, that indicates a toxic organizational culture.  Who sets the culture?  The LEADER.  Daniel Snyder bought the franchise in 2000 from the Cooke family.  He is the leader who is making bad things happen.  Whatever the opposite of the Midas Touch is, Snyder has it.  When he made the personnel choices, he chose bad players.  When he hired GMs or team presidents, he chose bad leaders.  From free-agent signings to draft picks, to the Jim Zorn experiment, to the Bruce Allen fiasco, it seems every decision he makes is a bad one.  Snyder even managed to botch the handling of the team name.  If the name is racist, it should have been changed long ago.  If it isn't, he should have stood firm and declared he would never change it.  What Snyder is saying by changing the name now is that his principles have a price.  When his wallet was threatened (by the sponsors) his principles changed.  Were they ever principles to begin with?

The buck has to stop somewhere, and it's time for Snyder to be accountable.  By any metric, in any organization, Snyder should have been fired long ago for poor job performance.  Unfortunately an owner can't be fired for incompetence.  The fans who care enough should camp in front of Redskins Park until Snyder sells the team.  It is the ONLY way this organization will ever see positive change.