Suing 'Skins fans only latest in Snyder's reign of error

When growing up in the D.C. area you did three things: eat, sleep, and follow the Washington Redskins.

Nothing else mattered particularly during the broadcast of their games. Dinners were eaten in front of the television, outdoor activities were halted, sex was interrupted.

Daniel Snyder's ownership era has been known more for free-agent flops than winning seasons. (Getty Images)

My era was mainly the Joe Gibbs regime. The only people bigger than Gibbs in the late 1980s and into the 1990s around the Washington and Maryland corridor were Mayor Marion Barry and Ronald Reagan.

Maybe.

You followed the Redskins, you loved them, and you cherished them.

Then came Daniel Snyder.

True fans of the team, longtime ones, not the stiffs who discovered the Redskins five years ago, rank Snyder somewhere in the Ty Cobb-Kobe Bryant-Bernie Madoff region of likeability.

Another case in point that Snyder cares more about money than the fan: he recently sued a bunch of them.

His own fans.

Sued some of them.

There were a group of season ticket holders who because of the horrid economy asked to be released from their ticket contract. Many teams in the NFL and across the sports world happily oblige. Not the DannySkins.

They sued the fans for the cash and re-sold the tickets. One of the people the team sued was a 72-year-old grandmother close to bankruptcy. Another was an unemployed paranoid schizophrenic.

Suing broke grandmas.

Always a good business practice.

Teach that one at the Harvard MBA program, I bet.

Snyder: Gotta get my paper, yo.

Not even Jim Dolan is this dumb.

Who designed this ticket policy, anyway?

Pol Pot?

Introducing the Redskins' new motto: where washed up free agents and process servers are both equally welcome.

After being busted by the Washington Post for his disgraceful ticket practices did Snyder apologize? He did the opposite. Snyder actually sent one of his PR conduits onto a Snyder-owned radio station and the representative stated he didn't know of a team that doesn't sue its fans. It was both a non-sequitur and stunningly obnoxious response.

Snyder has long stumbled through the NFL wilds with his craw full of barbed stupidity and righteous indignation at his critics instead of genuine care for the team's fans. Naysayers are besieged by PR puppets (hello Karl) and message board trolls who dream of the day their tongue can bond with the bottom of Snyder's shoe.

Yet this time even Snyder went too far in his efforts to make his billionaire butt even more billionary.

No true fan of the team can like what Snyder has done in the past (on and off the field) or is currently doing except those on his payroll or those who want to be.

Even in the evaporating sea that is decorum, politeness and respect for your customers, Snyder has set a new ownership low.

Many of my close friends and family members are hardcore fans who grew up in D.C. and like me have followed the team since taking their first steps. Unlike many of the wannabe fans who only pay attention when Washington wins (which under Snyder has been rare) most fans I know have been watching since the 1970s and in some cases go all the way back to the despicable ownership of George Preston Marshall. They are as hardcore as hardcore gets.

And they all hate Snyder. Every one of them. There isn't a longtime fan I know who likes Snyder. They constantly complain about how he abuses their dedication.

But they keep going to games and watching. I swore off the team not long after Snyder's takeover because I found him to be an insecure little man who thrived on overreaching and hubris. Others can't swear off their addiction. Snyder can sue them, abuse them and they still put on their Art Monk and Joe Theismann jerseys and head off into the abyss.

The reason is Redskins fans are an insecure bunch. Many feel guilt over the hideously racist mascot, embarrassment due to the lack of champions in the D.C. area, and jealousy of the Baltimore Ravens, just a short hop down I-95, who possess a far more efficient football operation. The Ravens' owner, Steve Bisciotti, is one of the top five owners in football.

So hardcore Redskins fans figure awww, hell, Snyder is a scoundrel but he's our scoundrel.

It's the only explanation for why fans still stick with the team despite having their pockets emptied and their names added to the court docket.

Yet finally there are signs Redskins fans have had enough. The question is what the hell took so long? Snyder's been a disaster for almost 10 years. The only thing Snyder has to show for his ownership is a fatter bank account and celebrities in the owner's box. His list of horrid free agents signings is legendary He once signed safety Adam Archuleta to a seven-year, $35 million free-agent deal that turned out to be a disaster. That year alone, 2006, Snyder spent $45 million in guaranteed cash on Archuleta, wide receivers Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd, and defensive lineman Andre Carter.

Snyder signed Jeff George as a backup quarterback for $18 million over four years. George started the first two games of 2001 and Washington lost by a combined score of 67-3. Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter signed for seven years, $35 million and lasted two seasons. Snyder signed then 37-year-old Bruce Smith for five years at $23 million. He signed Deion Sanders to a $55 million deal that included an $8 million bonus. Sanders played for one season and kept the bonus.

Now, Snyder's suing his own fans.

What a nice guy. Stay classy, Danny.

Snyder is close to joining the likes of Al Davis and William Clay Ford as one of the worst owners in football.

It's true.

If you're a fan still backing Snyder, you're a sucker.

Maybe even a defendant.