I don't think its really about the players....its about the ownership and greed of Dan Snyder.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/redskins/2003-01-31-mitchell-redskins_x.htm
Bobby Mitchell has parting shots for Redskins
By Joseph White, The Associated Press
ASHBURN, Va. — Burdened with a final insult that hurt as much as any racial setback he received over the decades, Bobby Mitchell retired Friday after 41 years with the Washington Redskins.
The first black player on a team that was slow to integrate, the Hall of Fame receiver of the 1960s found his glass ceiling to be the job of assistant general manager. In a wide ranging interview with The Associated Press, he discussed matters of race, the state of the Redskins under owner Dan Snyder, his reason for leaving — and why the team that has been such a part of his life might never hear from him again.
Mitchell wore No. 49 when he played for the Redskins from 1962-68, and no player had worn that number since — until it was given to tight end Leonard Stephens this year. Sonny Jurgensen's No. 9 and Joe Theismann's No. 7 were also given to players for a couple of days this spring, but they were quickly retracted.
But not No. 49.
"I've had a lot of hurts, a lot of bad hurts," Mitchell said. "But personally for me and my family, that might be the biggest hurt. I was the first number set aside, and I'm the first one taken off. It was that one word I keep using — neglect. People here didn't even realize that 49 was Bobby Mitchell's number.
"And if I should, once I walk through that gate, if I should decide never, ever to be a Redskin again, in any shape, form or fashion, that will probably be the reason why. I hate to have to say that. But there's a good chance when I walk through that gate that the Redskins will never hear from me again — over a silly mistake."
Snyder referred questions about Mitchell's number to coach Steve Spurrier. When told of Mitchell's comments, Spurrier said the team had made a mistake. "There was a mistake by everyone in the organization," Spurrier said. "Me, our equipment staff, tight ends coach and personnel guy. We made a mistake and we'll correct it. No one will be wearing Bobby;s number during any season."
Mitchell can relate intimate football-related conversations with Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi, George Allen, Edward Bennett Williams and even Martin Luther King, so it was hardly special when Snyder — who lacks a football background — bought the team in 1999.
Mitchell, 68, is not leaving because of Snyder. He is leaving because Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore has become the NFL's first black general manager — a sort of spiritual release for Mitchell, because it was the job he always sought.
But Mitchell candidly says that Snyder, whose massive in-house turnover has included four head coaches and five defensive coordinators, has made the franchise one of "total instability."
"If you look at it from Dan's side, he's a corporate man who is trying to find out why can't he run football the way he runs his other business," Mitchell said. "And he can't because his other business is transient. Football should not be. This league is not so strong that you can't win it all; if there is some stability, you can win it all. That's disheartening."
Does Mitchell think Snyder will ever figure it out?
"If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say no," Mitchell said. "But at the same time, hoping the heck that he can. Because I'm going to be out there with my ear tuned to this. No matter how much I try to shed it off, I love to hear good things. I want to see good things like everybody else."