The longer this Daniel Snyder lawsuit against the Washington City Paper goes on, the better the paper looks. Today, it published a fairly lengthy open letter from Publisher Amy Austin that addressed everything about the lawsuit. It showed each portion of the article that Snyder claimed was libelous, provided a suitable explanation and supported author Dave McKenna; as they have been all along.
Austin also addressed Snyder directly, and implored him to do something that I'm sure many Redskins fans have been asking of Snyder since news of the lawsuit first broke.
Mr. Snyder, in all the public uproar about your suit, what people seem to be saying is that —just as we plan to continue focusing on putting out relevant journalism each week—they want you to focus for as long as you own the Redskins on the stewardship of the team, an institution that is much older and admittedly much more prominent than ours. The last three weeks have reminded me that the region is filled with fans who want to see the Redskins build a winning team, coaching staff, and organization. They want you to bring the generosity of spirit your lawyers described in reciting your charitable activities to everyday interactions with players, fans, and ticket holders. They want you to concentrate on the greatness of the business at hand.
I'm not knowledgeable enough about the laws in question to decide one way or another if the lawsuit is valid. But I do know that the whole thing is largely unnecessary. I'm not saying that Snyder should put up with slander and libel. But if it is a case that will be difficult to make, as this one appears to be, than it isn't worth the negative publicity he is getting. Let. It. Go.