The Commanders’ ongoing ownership saga saw a major development Monday, and it’s not one that Washington fans should be excited about.
Bezos reportedly has yet to enter a formal bid.
“I think Bezos’ people could go to [Commanders owner] Dan [Snyder] and say as a gesture of goodwill, ‘We are selling the paper,’” a source close to the situation told the New York Post. “I think that would go a long way with Dan.”
The newspaper and its columnists have provided tough coverage of Snyder’s tenure as team owner.
With Snyder almost certainly on his way out as owner, the last thing the Commanders need is for the team’s new owner to be someone just as controversial.
But that’s what they’d be getting in Bezos, the executive chairman of Amazon.
For starters, Amazon has frequently been under scrutiny for mistreatment of workers under Bezos’ watch (h/t Forbes.com).
If that sounds familiar, it’s because enabling a toxic workplace environment is one of the reasons Snyder is being pressured to sell (h/t: NBCnews.com)
That’s also far from the only scandal that Amazon has found itself involved in recently. Bezos’ other business endeavors, such as space manufacturer Blue Origin, have come with similar red flags (h/t: Washington Post).
Just about anyone would be a fresh change of pace from Snyder, who has run his course in D.C. and then some. In his 24 years as owner, the Commanders are 164-220-2 with a 2-6 playoff record.
If Bezos were to become owner and not micromanage the team, as Snyder has, the Commanders probably would have more on-field success.
But where Bezos goes, negative headlines often follow.
It’s hard to imagine his presence with the Commanders would be anything but a distraction, which is exactly what Washington doesn’t need in a post-Snyder world.
