In February, Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder sued the Washington City Paper and its sports columnist Dave McKenna, accusing both parties of "[employing] lies, half-truths, innuendo, and anti-Semitic imagery to smear, malign, defame, and slander" Snyder, as well as "demean" the owner's wife, Tanya.
The documents that were released included a note from Redskins General Counsel Dave Donovan that amounted to a threat to put the publication out of business through the exorbitant cost of defending the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed in response to a McKenna article titled "The Cranky Redskins Fan's Guide to Daniel Snyder," was breathtaking in its pure chutzpah. No one with any legal knowledge thought the lawsuit had any chance of success, and the local media whiled away many hours picking over the suit's carcass.
Meanwhile, Snyder took to the editorial pages and airwaves to defend himself, insisting that he was in the right while also admitting that he had filed the suit without actually bothering to read the piece he was attacking.
The lawsuit shuttled from New York, where it was initially filed, to D.C., where it was re-filed and later languished before the Redskins owner pulled the plug on it just before the start of the 2011 regular season.
Snyder got nothing from the lawsuit except gobs of ridicule and reclaimed his status as one of the most-loathed owners in the NFL, if not all of sports. McKenna and the City Paper claimed victory in the court of public opinion. The rest of us were reminded that people come in all shapes and sizes, and that some are very small indeed.
- Dan Snyder Dismisses Lawsuit Against Washington City Paper (StoryStream).
- Tony Wylie And Dave Donovan Keep Saying The Wrong Things About Dan Snyder's Lawsuit (Half Smokes)
- Dan Snyder vs Washington City Paper (Hogs Haven)
- Washington City Paper Editor Michael Schaffer On Dan Snyder Lawsuit: 'It Seems Really Sad To Me'
- 'SB Nation Radio,' Episode 15: Dan Snyder's Lawsuit Against The Washington City Paper (by Scott Jackson and Mike Prada)
- Dan Snyder Talks To 106.7 The Fan, Opportunity Missed To Delve Into Lawsuit (Half Smokes)
- Dan Snyder Discusses Washington City Paper Lawsuit, Says Dave McKenna Has 'Obsession' With Him (Half Smokes)
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Dan Snyder Subpoenas Another Writer, Continues His Charade Of Lunacy (SBNation.com)
For the complete D.C. Top 10 of 2011 countdown, visit this StoryStream. For more coverage of Washington D.C. sports, visit our D.C. blogs:
- Hogs Haven (Redskins)
- Japers' Rink (Capitals)
- Bullets Forever (Wizards)
- Federal Baseball (Nationals)
- Black and Red United (D.C. United)
- Testudo Times (Maryland)
- Casual Hoya (Georgetown)