There was a time when the Washington Redskins' owner was among the more powerful people in town.
Certainly, Jack Kent Cooke could match any politician’s rule. More than District Mayor Marion Barry, who was so powerful even prison didn’t derail his career. George Preston Marshall managed a free stadium before buckling to federal pressure to sign Black players. Edward Bennett Williams, who ran the team as a minority owner between Marshall and Cooke from 1966-80, was such a powerful lawyer that Richard Nixon once said he would have remained president had Williams been his lawyer.
They were kings of the capital - especially Cooke, given three Super Bowl championships during his reign. Cooke grabbed Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly’s behind with both hands during meetings to anger her and didn’t even get a letter from HR. Williams and Cooke filled their suites during games with A-list celebrities.
But will incoming owners of the Washington Commanders have such power? Not even close.
Among the many things Dan Snyder ruined is the team’s hold on Washington. Oh, the outgoing owner who has a deal in place with Josh Harris to sell the team thought he was a big deal. But, the reason Snyder is truly selling is because nobody wanted to fund a new stadium. Snyder’s political capital wasn’t even two cents.
Everyone from Capitol Hill to Chantilly despises him. Why, Snyder can’t even remain locally in exile. He now resides in London, where football is some sport with a round ball, so no one even knows him. Surely, Snyder will try to be a big deal there, with the same likely success as his tenure with Six Flags and Johnny Rockets.
Cooke didn’t get federal blessing for a new stadium at RFK because he wouldn’t kiss some Congressional rings. Cooke’s pride prevented it, and soon he was the “billionaire bully.” Still, history remembers Cooke fondly as the franchise’s only winning owner, though much of it was founded by Williams’ hiring of Bobby Beathard.
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Harris' deal isn’t yet signed and there’s still an option for someone else to trump it with a higher bid. While unlikely, the option is there. Yet, no matter who becomes the next owner, their well has been poisoned.
One of the first major moves by an incoming owner is working on a new stadium. The District and Virginia blew off Snyder after one-too-many allegations of scandals. Even Virginia lawmakers sobered up after once offering a $1 billion giveaway for a stadium.
A new owner changes everything, though. Still, it’s not like Cooke’s stadium search, when Virginia and Maryland leaders danced around a roaring fire for Cooke’s pleasure. Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder and Cooke announced a stadium at Potomac Yards before downstate lawmakers nixed the deal in the days before Northern Virginia gained statehouse power. Maryland offered two sites, and Cooke eventually chose the one closest to town. Even District lawmakers made repeated tries to keep the team at RFK. That the city made all the revenues from parking and concessions and there were no luxury boxes were the bigger reasons Cooke left.
Snyder overplayed his hand over the past few years, thinking politicians would treat him with the same benevolence as Cooke. The team demanded free land for a site near Dulles International Airport, and shelved an offer from Maryland that would have created an entertainment district around the stadium. The District offered nothing at RFK because Snyder wanted the revitalized area to be his treasury.
New owners won’t be received with bended knees. It will take concessions and compromises. The Commanders owner is no longer the de facto ruler of Washington, but it can still be a pretty sweet deal. Ask King Charles – lots of prestige and none of the blame as a monarch.
King Cooke is dead. His legacy was destroyed by Snyder. But, the honeymoon awaiting Snyder’s successor should still be an era of prosperity that ends in a new venue.
Follow Rick Snider on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks
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