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Redskins quick to deny report that Daniel Snyder has 'taken over' draft

The best owners in sports hire skilled talent with intricate knowledge of the game to manage the team side of the business.

Then there’s Daniel Snyder.

The Washington Redskins owner bought the team in 1999.

A Wednesday report that the long-time owner is meddling in the draft and the team’s ensuing quick denial of the report are par for the course.

Litany of failure under Daniel Snyder

This may be a shock to some of our younger readers, but it wasn’t long before Snyder bought the team that it was considered one of the NFL’s premiere franchises, a team with five Super Bowl appearances and three Lombardi Trophies secured under the leadership of one of the game’s coaching titans, Joe Gibbs.

Now it’s a perennial loser and regular butt of jokes. The only thing about the team more offensive than the product it puts on the field is its transgressions off it — like suing season ticket holders for payment during the great recession and a steadfast refusal to acknowledge that yes, the team’s nickname is a racial slur.

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But set aside the franchise’s despicable practices, and there’s still very little to admire about the team under Snyder’s watch.

The best owners in sports hire skilled talent to manage the team side of the business. Then there’s Daniel Snyder. (AP)
The best owners in sports hire skilled talent to manage the team side of the business. Then there’s Daniel Snyder. (AP)

Snyder purchased a team that won the NFC East and a playoff game during the 1999 season. Since then, the team has posted four playoff appearances and one playoff win in 19 seasons.

The once-mighty franchise has posted a 139-180-1 record and gone through eight coaches under Snyder, who has a reputation for being one of the game’s more hands-on owners.

Snyder has reportedly ‘taken over’ Redskins draft

Which is why this report from Washington sports reporter Grant Paulsen comes as no surprise to fans of the team. According to Paulsen, Snyder has “taken over the first round of the draft.”

The quarterback-needy Redskins have been in the thick of trade rumors that have them moving up from the No. 15 pick. It’s been enough chatter to prompt vice president of player personnel Doug Williams to address the reports.

“The chance of trading up is a lot slimmer than trading back,” Williams told reporters Monday.

Moving up to select a quarterback in a draft considered light on high-end quarterback talent would be a move with Snyder’s fingerprints all over it.

Redskins deny Snyder report

As for the report of Snyder’s meddling, the team was quick to deny it. It took less than 30 minutes from Paulsen’s initial tweet for a team spokesman to attempt to shoot the report down.

Paulsen didn’t clarify if he reached out to the team for comment or if the team scrambled to reach out to him to attempt to set the record straight.

Either way, even the Redskins appear clear on how bad the perception is of Snyder being too hands-on.

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