There is a new face, a new voice of the Washington Football Team and it shouldn't change whenever owner Dan Snyder returns.
Fans recently embraced co-owner Tanya Snyder's public debut after taking over daily operations following the NFL advising her husband to do something else for a while like stadium site searches. An NFL report on alleged sexual misconduct by team staffers essentially looked the other way after a one-year investigation, but needed a censure bigger than a team fine so Tanya is in and Dan is out for an indefinite period.
Make that forever.
Tanya Snyder threw footballs into the stands in Richmond during fan day. She addressed the crowd with affection. Basically, Tanya Snyder did things Dan Snyder never did.
Most fans dislike Dan Snyder at best. They've seen his 22 years as nothing but a money grab with little on-field success. Dan Snyder doesn't do interviews outside of friendly media so it's easy to exile him.
Tanya Snyder has largely been out of public view over the years, aside from starting a successful breast cancer awareness program that has gone league-wide. But, when Bruce Allen was fired as team president in January 2020, someone needed to fill the void and team sources say Tanya has been aside Dan in meetings ever since. She was very much involved in the hiring of coach Ron Rivera and president Jason Wright.
This is no puppet rule. Tanya Snyder is in charge for now. The question is whether Dan Snyder becomes the boss once more in daily operations, meddles in football decisions and becomes the face of the franchise again.
Don't do it. No matter Dan Snyder's status, leave Tanya Snyder as the friendly face of the franchise. If the team wants to prove its checkered history is indeed in the past, start over with new energy.
Essentially, Tanya Snyder is good, Dan Snyder bad for business. And, women now buy more NFL merchandise than men, especially since the pandemic when home shopping increased. Tanya Snyder would actually help the team sell more gear to women who trust her.
It seems strange that a business played solely by men with very few women staffers is increasingly seeing the latter play more prominent roles. Women are becoming NFL assistant coaches, trainers, referees and executives. Tanya Snyder becomes the third woman to run an organization in an old-boys club, but expect more in coming years.
Tanya Snyder's emergence is working for a team that needs to sell tickets after Dan Snyder's rule broke the fan base. Many fans pledged never to give Dan Snyder their money via tickets or merchandise after his poor stewardship. Maybe they'll give Tanya Snyder a chance, though.
Dan Snyder needs to work on a stadium site over the next two years if the team is moving in 2027 as planned. He's better off checking his ego, working the backrooms and leaving the team's image with Tanya. After all, Dan Snyder's the one who gave the burgundy and gold a black eye.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.
