After 25 years of what some call the worst ownership tenure of any sport, Dan Snyder sold the Washington Commanders to a group headed by Josh Smith, owner of the NHL's New Jersey Devils and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.
All it took was a record $6 billion, and pressure from the NFL amid accusations of sexual misconduct and shady business practices, and the city of Washington was finally done with Snyder.
Then it took exactly one season for the franchise to crawl from the proverbial gutter to a Super Bowl contender behind the leadership of new general manager Adam Peters and new head coach Dan Quinn.
But a former GM who worked under Snyder related a story about Snyder and the 2015 NFL Draft that seems to sum up the state of the organization under Snyder's leadership.
Scot McCloughan served as the GM for the Commanders in 2015 and 2016. He appeared on the Kevin Sheehan Show on TEAM 980 in D.C. this week and wanted to discuss a situation during the 2015 NFL Draft when he wanted to take Maryland wideout Stefon Diggs in the fourth round.
“If I could tell you the story I would, but I can’t on radio. I was told I couldn’t by the owner,” the former Commanders GM said. “He was sitting next to me when the scout told me I couldn’t take him. I wanted Diggs, he was the highest rated on my board at the time.”
McCloughan clearly wanted to draft Diggs, a local kid. But for some reason that was not made clear, Snyder overruled his new GM.
Washington instead selected Duke wideout Jamison Crowder with the 105th overall pick. He played out four seasons with the franchise before signing with the New York Jets as a free agent in 2019. He also played for the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants before returning to Washington in 2023.
Crowder was a fine player for the franchise for a number of seasons, but he was no Stefon Diggs.
Diggs is entering his 11th season after being selected in the fifth round by the Minnesota Vikings. He's made four Pro Bowls, one First-Team All-Pro and one Second-Team All-Pro. In 2020, he led the league in both receptions and receiving yards.
Crowder never made any Pro Bowls or postseason honors in the NFL.