Matthew Berry, a lifelong Washington football fan, had one cold, odd interaction with current Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder. But that is not why he is so excited about the potential the Josh Harris-led group brings to running the franchise.
"The team absolutely needs new ownership and you're hoping that it's somebody that is good, right? Nowhere to go but up," Berry told The Hoffman Show. "But, I will say this, somebody, like Josh Harris who owns professional sports teams. The Sixers are a very well-run team, the Devils are a well-run team, he has a piece of [Premier League side] Crystal Palace, as well. This is somebody who... has been successful at every stage of his life and everything that he's done."
"Cautiously optimistic. Until it's official, official you can't go too crazy, but very excited," Berry told Hoffman.
Berry added that in the past Washington has been hurt on the field by Snyder's ownership becasue the team was not a good destination for free agents and the club was forced to over pay, which hurts the team's ability to recruit and the new Harris-led group could help that.
"If all Magic Johnson does is four times a year get on the phone or sit in a room with a free agent we're chasing, that's enough," Berry said. "[Johnson is] exactly who you think he is, he's an incredibly charming, large-than-life personality. He's Magic 'freaking' Johnson. I could not be more excited about the potential ownership group."
On the change in ownership, Berry added, "It makes it easier to root for them in public. It makes it easier to be a fan."
Berry tells the full story cold interaction with Snyder before a Thursday night football game in Minnesota (during the Robert Griffin III era) in which the former ESPN Fantasy Football guru introduced himself as a "lifelong fan" of the team.
"They brought me over to meet him. He did not know who I was. He could not have been more dismissive, he briefly shook my hand and turned away," Berry told Team 980. "He wasn't rude, rude, like, you know what I mean? I would have expected a little more because I didn't just randomly walk over.
"The head of [team] PR brought me over and before we approached, [the PR person] went over to Snyder and I'm sure he said something like 'Hey, this is Matthew Berry from ESPN and he's here with his son and he's a lifetime fan blah blah. He's a big-time fan and he's publicly supportive of us blah blah blah.' I'm sure he gave some sort of sell to him on me and then they waved me over with my son."
The best way to express the interaction: "Wasn't super warm."
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