The Washington Redskins are the most popular team in town for many reasons. Perhaps the biggest reason for their popularity is their sense of history and tradition. However, many of the players that we associate with that tradition have been noticeably missing from Ashburn since Daniel Snyder took ownership of the team.
On Thursday, Bruce Allen attempted to rectify that, by inviting more than 60 former players to reunite at Redskins Park. Homer McFanboy was there, and recorded some choice commentary from the former players on why they haven't been around as much lately.
Art Monk was especially pleased to be the band back together:
“This is great,” said Hall of Famer Art Monk. “To be able to come back, reminisce and tell old stories and see the guys you used to play with. You also get to meet some of the guys who played before you that you had only heard about. We’re a family, and it’s a shame that we haven’t been able to do something like this before.”
“You know, when I came to this team in 1980, the old guys were always around,” he continued. “Guys like Roy Jefferson and Charlie Taylor coached me and we really got to know them. We heard the stories about the amount of money they made or what they went through and I think it’s important for the current players to understand and appreciate what they now have. That’s been missing around here for a long time. Hopefully this is the beginning of something good.”
And why haven't the old Redskins been around as much? Well, Vinny Cerrato didn't want them hanging around and passing out championship advice and reminiscing about old times.
“The first thing it means is that the change in the administration from Cerrato to Bruce Allen is a good thing for the Washington Redskins, because Vinny didn’t like us around,” said legendary Hog George Starke. “He didn’t like former Redskins. He wasn’t part of this family. And as a result of that, the Redskins never went anywhere. You know, [most] of these guys out there on that field have never been in the playoffs. On this side, you’ve got guys here with four rings."
Now, I thought that the current administration was dumb, but this just takes the cake. Its one thing to go about setting up new traditions. Its a totally different thing to willfully ignore your past and pretend that the history of the franchise only started under your ownership. Hats off to Bruce Allen in taking the first step in rectifying one of the most glaring issues of the past decade.