There was no boldness of Jack Kent Cooke or brazenness of Dan Snyder. Instead, Josh Harris looked like a humble man knowing his coming task is much tougher than those of preceding Washington Commanders owners.
“This is not going to be easy,” Harris said. “The [public] reaction is overwhelming. We know we have to deliver. I’m stressed. . . . Believe me, I’m sweating this more than anyone else out there.”
Proverbs 29:23 says, “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.”
That’s your new Commanders owner – a rich man for sure with his fourth pro sports franchise after leading a coalition to buy the team for $6.05 billion on Friday. But, Harris is a refreshing change from past owners.
Founding franchise owner George Preston Marshall was undermined by his racism in refusing to sign Black players until forced by the federal government. The stalling ruined his team from typical title contention to cellar dweller.
Cooke was known as “The Squire” and three Super Bowl championships enabled him to push aside politicians and pundits. That said, Cooke could never deliver a proper city stadium and exiled to the Maryland suburbs.
Snyder, well . . . he crashed and burned this franchise so badly since the 1999 purchase that it may take a decade to truly rebuild.
But that’s Harris’ task and you can tell he’s up all hours trying to plan his first move. It won’t be rebranding the Commanders name or securing a stadium deal. Those things must wait until after the season in January.
For now, Harris is desperate to make a good first impression to instantly distance his predecessor. There was only one reference to past scandals and Harris smartly sidestepped it.
Harris is empowering minority owner Magic Johnson with community outreach. There can be no better person since former Redskins great Bobby Mitchell spent the 1960s to 2000 inspiring local support.
Improving the stadium experience is a must with just six weeks until the opening game. Already, sturdy tall black fences line player tunnels instead of shaky railings with twist ties that once sent fans tumbling downward. Harris will certainly walk the Landover stadium again and again trying to turn a stadium modeled on the past into something fans can survive in the present.
“We’ll make a dent in it as fast as we can,” Harris said.
A few hundred fans waited outside the gates nearly one hour before admission. They were excited, hungry to see something new in this old stadium filled with horror stories. Maybe the Commanders will stay another decade while finding their new venue, but at least it will be a home instead of a house filled with visiting fans.
And then there’s ownership supporting the team without interfering. That’s a wide-ranging wish list, but among Harris’ priorities.
Harris and minority owner Mitchell Rales remembered the franchise’s glory days when taking the Friendship Heights metro to games. They seemed star struck to see the team’s immortals in the front row that included coach Joe Gibbs, Darrell Green, Doug Williams, Mark Moseley and Dexter Manley with a collective nine Super Bowl rings.
Mostly, the two recalled when the Redskins were the common thread to Washington before politics polarized residents. Maybe if the team can return to everyday conversations, other talk can turn more civil.
“We’re here to unite and inspire,” Rales said. “I remember what it was like. I want to see those days again.”
Harris may own three teams in three cities, but the native son won’t be an absentee owner.
“You can’t mail it in,” he said. “I’ll be around.”