UKHTTW: in conversation with Rick Snider

For 18 months, people across the World have been dealing with some of the toughest days they hoped they might not ever have to face.

The COVID-19 pandemic has cost many lives and delayed essential treatment for many others. During these serious times, for this author, resilience has been the key to grind through another 24 hours.

And this can be achieved in a variety of ways, including seeking out those little snippets of happiness that can raise a smile when you might be feeling less than joyful.

Rick Snider, and in particular his excellent Give Me 2 minutes YouTube feature, has one of those voices that brings a moment (well, two minutes to be exact) of calm in these darker days, Combining an affable nature, but with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Washington Football Team, Rick waxes lyrical on a variety of D.C sports topics.

For UKHTTW, Rick has been a real friend to UK WFT fans, with a generous RT always welcome to spread the word that the UK has some serious aficionados of the football team.

So finally, we thought let us catch up with the 106.7 The Fan and Warpath columnist who has been writing about the WFT since 1983 and sports since 1978.

Rick, thank you for taking time out with UKHTTW. For me, you are very much in the Rich Tandler (RIP) category of writers in that you seem to always make time for fans of the team. Is this something that comes naturally, to interact and maintain a very down-to-Earth attitude? John Keim is another who has that easy-going manner combined with extensive knowledge.

I gave Rich Tandler his start.

We met at training camp around 2002 when he wanted help with his first book. I hired him to write for Warpath and his hard work led to a TV job. The public reaction to Rich’s death showed me something I hadn’t considered before – service to fans.

Rich worked in restaurants all of his life before his late career in TV and was dedicated to customer service to viewers. I’m a traditional newspaper man and we’re taught to distance ourselves from readers. Totally opposite approach that in the days of the internet has gone 180 degrees.

I was a lot more intense when younger competing for news. Now in my final years of a long career, I’ve seen it’s OK to interact with fans and have some fun. That I also became a tour guide in 2010 makes me more comfortable with groups of strangers. As for my style, I’m a native Washingtonian from a middle-class family who connects better with blue-collar fans than rich folks.

I was on holiday when the news broke of the NFL fining the Washington Football Team $10 million in light of the various harassment, bullying and workplace cultural incidents. Dan Snyder is also in the background (for now), but this seemed a real whitewash given the seriousness of the allegations and a lack of a published report. My view is that “behind closed doors” the NFL has handicapped Dan with a long-term broader objective of permanently side lining the less than successful owner of the WFT. The unfortunate victims have not received the outcome they should have been given and your views are welcome.

Ever seen the three monkeys that see, hear and speak no evil? That’s the NFL.

They don’t want to find problems, only money. It’s a collective of privately-owned companies so there’s no legal requirement for transparency, only to provide enough to satisfy the public. In the end, nothing surprised me. I figured a fine and a news dump on a Fourth of July (when we said see ya to the Brits) holiday weekend when the matter would be quickly forgotten. And, that’s exactly what happened.

Snyder got off easy because other owners live in glass houses, too. I was shocked there was no written report, though. I mean, 160-plus witnesses over a year with a $7 million price tag and there isn’t a summary of findings? But, the NFL knew lawyers representing victims would use it in lawsuits so better to leave no paper trail.

Away from the controversy, the on-field product has some definite green shoots under HC Ron Rivera and his coaching staff. The grown-ups appear to be in-charge and, whilst this season might come too soon, do you genuinely feel the WFT could become perennial NFC Championship contenders? There is a lot of talent in that locker room.

It all comes down to the quarterback. If it gets good production, Washington could be in the Super Bowl in the next two years.

Did you attend the London game in 2016 and, if so, are there still nightmares about that Dustin Hopkins missed FG?

I’ve been to London several times, but not for that game. Now Osaka, Japan in 2002 was a real experience. I’m the last one around who was on that trip. It was a lot of fun aside 17-hour plane rides, but even then I was on the team plane so it was memorable. By the way, next time I’m in London someone has to take me to see Premier League Darts. I love when they yell, “180!”

Given you have covered sports since 1983, who is your all-time favourite football player to suit up in burgundy & gold? This can be two guys: one for pure talent and another for that spark & generosity off the field.

I’m asked that all the time and honestly, it all runs together.

How well someone plays isn’t related to whether I like them. Heath Shuler is a great person and I hate when people speak badly of him as a person. Dan Turk was so much fun despite it all ending on a bad snap. He died less than a year later of cancer.

Shar Pourdanesh was the NFL’s only Iranian player and so interesting. Conversely, the great Super Bowl teams had a lot of players who were jerks to the media. I guess my favourite player overall is Russ Grimm. Such a great guy that you can drink a beer with, and I have.

And last of all, let us know a snippet of WFT information that perhaps not many a fan will know – an exclusive for UKHTTW!

You read it here first – This is probably my last season covering the team.

I may retire next year not because I’m tired of writing sports, but the pandemic claimed most of my clients and life is shoving me out the door.

I created the “Rick Snider’s Washington” YouTube segments daily to stay connected to fans and might keep doing that. We’ll see. Life in the pandemic has forced a lot of pivots so I can only see what happens.

Life goes quickly – enjoy your days whether the team wins or not.