Dan Snyder is not just a bad owner. He's also a bad person with a dark heart. At least that's what John Riggins thinks.
Riggo, who's been launching a one-man ground assault on Snyder over the past few weeks, takes it a step further, and perhaps too far, with a blistering interview with Showtime's "Inside the NFL." The DC Sports Bog helpfully provides the transcript.
Riggins doesn't hold back, saying:
"But this is a bad guy that owns this team. I'll just tell you that upfront. Bad guy. And if the Commissioner is worried about potential new owners and saying some of these guys shouldn't apply, he might want to police his own inside guys."
When pressed on what exactly he meant -- was he accusing Snyder of being unethical or cheating in some way -- Riggo was as elusive as he was in his glory days 20 years ago. He has a huge problem with Snyder's attitude and his ego, saying "I just don't think you can be successful in those situations and when you are dealing with someone with the mindset of a child and yet owns a franchise in the NFL."
Hmm... Someone with a huge ego, who acts like a baby -- say, whining for attention and stomping his feet when things don't go his way -- who does that sound like? Apparently there are lots of mirrors at Riggo's house.
Riggo does get to the heart of the matter, though, something most fans (and probably many football insiders) would agree with when he blames the Snyder/Vinny relationship as the root of all Redskins evil.
"[Dan Snyder] knows nothing about football, absolutely nothing. I don't think they have a clue how a football team comes together, how it works. And yet they are the ones that are basically calling all the shots through a puppet, which is Vinny Cerrato."
Most are nodding their heads in agreement, but then Riggo jukes right and goes further, telling Cris Collinsworth, "Let me put it to you this way, Cris, this person's heart is dark."
Incompetent maybe, but evil? Snyder might have some obnoxious qualities, but calling him evil and dark-hearted might be just a little bit over the line.
Although there probably aren't many Skins fans -- given the last decade of Snyder-led mediocrity -- who'd put up much of a fight over that.
