Stadium-Armory Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Didn't see this in Breaking news, or on here. Looks like Cooke is taking questions on the Washington Post web site: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/10/21/DI2009102101116.html?hpid=topnews Here's what's been said so far: UnWise Mike: Hi everyone. Thanks for joining John Kent Cooke and me today. Between his winery, newspaper businesses (God bless anyone, by the way, who supports the newspaper business), he's a very busy man. So let's get right to the questions. I've got 45 min. or so to answer. _______________________ John Kent Cooke: Good afternoon. I am delighted to be here to answer as many questions as I can.......... _______________________ Washington, DC: Why are you doing this chat? UnWise Mike: Because I love attention. : ). I know, that question was probably for Mr. Cooke. But I can tell you in all seriousness that anytime you get to interact with readers in these kind of forums, as a writer, it gives you a better feeling for what people are actually thinking -- as opposed to just editors and writers working in a vacuum. _______________________ Paul, MD: Mr. Cooke, I just wanted to let you know that I as a fan am extremely sorry your family does not still own the Skins. Your father built the Skins into what they are monetarily by what he did to make it enjoyable as a fan. His devotion was to his customers, the fans first. His not charging season ticket holders for preseason games, giving the opportunity to those on the waiting list reflected that and is in sharp contrast to the way the ownership operates today. My foregoing the family's 4 tickets that were held for decades is a testament to the fact that the experience is lost. As a dedicated fan since a kid -- through thick and thin -- I find it sad that I do not care what happens to the organization anymore. Life is more important than a game, and I can not take any enjoyment in giving my money to a man that sues fans in economic hard times when their money is needed elsewhere in their lives. No question, just wanted to thank you and your family for the great years. John Kent Cooke: It is a sad situation. Thank you for your kind comments. _______________________ Native Washingtonian...: ...whose blood runs burgundy (well, it used to...). There's no other way to put it: the story about you broke my heart. The way Mr. Snyder has run this team is the polar opposite of everything you and your father did. You built something. He's trying to buy something. I have been a Redskins fan since the day I was born, but am finding myself sorely tested these days... I did think the quote from Sonny at the end of the piece -- that had your father thought you could run the team, he would have left it to you, was out of line. (After all, he's well known to be in the pro-Snyder camp.) While I don't think you would share exactly what you really think of Sonny and his comment, I am curious at your thoughts on it in general. John Kent Cooke: Sonny was mistaken. My father could not leave the Redskins to me and the family for two reasons: he wanted the foundation to be significant and the size of his estate at that time was not as large as it was previously, and subject to estate taxes. When my father realized this he changed his will that had previously allowed him to pass the Redskins to my family and Elmendorf Racing Stables to my brother's family. _______________________ Washington, D.C.: Mike, I just wanted to say that this story was beautifully written and a pleasure to read. UnWise Mike: Thanks much. I hate to be one of those guys that says, "I couldn't have done it without my offensive line," but the bottom line is it's true. And my offensive line was Stephen Ball, a part-time staffer at the Post and an assistant producer on my radio show. Stephen came up with the original idea of getting Mr. Cooke to talk about the current state of the franchise and what's he's doing these days (which was also chronicled in many ways over the years very well by Tom Heath and Lenny Shapiro at the Post). He found all the stories written by Tom, Lenny, Tony Kornheiser, Peter Pearl, Mark Maske, etc., and from there we came up with what I thought were some good questions. Of course, he didn't have to answer Stephen and I. Because he did, because Mr. Cooke gave us a real piece of himself over about three hours and two interviews, well, he made the story happen for us. We were just happy to tell it. _______________________ Mt. Pleasant Mills, Pa.: How do I go about finding a bottle of wine from your winery? John Kent Cooke: Unfortunately, we are forbidden by Pennsylvania state law to ship wine directly to the consumer. Raise hell with them and visit our satellite Tasting Room in Reston Town Center, Virginia. John Kent Cooke: Cheers! _______________________ Welcome back: Mr. Cooke, I'm wondering why you went for so many years without discussing publicly what happened in the aftermath of your father's death. Also curious as to why you decided to speak now. Was it the stunning fall of the franchise that prompted you to speak out? Either way, it's nice for us faithful to hear from you. Goes without saying that we truly miss the old days - and the old owner. John Kent Cooke: Thank you for your nice comment. I decided to speak now because the current organization has had 10 years to prove themselves and failed. The failure was compounded with the way they have treated the fans by suing them and taking advantage of them by overcommercializing everything in sight. _______________________ Arlington, Va.: First of all, Daniel Snyder is the worst thing that could have ever happened to the Redskins. Despite the way he is running the Redskins organization, I think the biggest travesty is the fact that he sold the naming rights to the stadium in Landover. This stadium was Mr. Cooke's legacy, built with his own money, and its name should have remained Jack Kent Cooke Stadium to memorialize his life and death. It was he who brought the team to glory, and Danny boy who is bringing it down. How do feel about this? John Kent Cooke: AMEN! _______________________ Washington, DC: Did you ever have an opportunity to meet Vinny Cerrato? What was your impression of him? UnWise Mike: Yes. He is a great radio personality. (Okay, I couldn't help it. This question I believe is for you, Mr. Cooke.) _______________________ Washington D.C: After seeing Norv Turner struggle in D.C, Oakland, and now San Diego do you still believe he was the right head coach after Richie Petitbon? Also do you think the amount of time he had to coach the Redskins was justified given his results? John Kent Cooke: I believe Norv deserved a chance. He began to prove his ability in the 1999 season. By the way, I think Richie Petitbon deserved more time to prove himself. That was our mistake. _______________________ Washington, DC: John, in his recently-concluded chat, Post columnist Tom Boswell had this to say about your father: "JKC was one mean old bird. A good owner. But otherwise, wow, what a piece of work." I think a lot of people have this same impression. Would you care to comment? John Kent Cooke: Tom Boswell obviously did not know my father. _______________________ Woodbridge, Va.: Mr. Cooke and Mr. Wise How are you all doing? Mr. Wise, I just wanted to say you have done a fantastic job with yet another very insightful article. This article, coupled with your articles on Donald Brashear, Joe Bugel after his daughter passed away, and the article on Joe Gibbs dealing with his grandsons leukemia are my favorites of yours. Mr. Cooke. I just wanted to say I felt the most interesting piece of the article was your first and only meeting with Dan Snyder. What was it about his actions/demeanor that day that caused you to see he was the wrong person to go into business with? Thanks. UnWise Mike: Thank you very much. It means a lot when someone remembers a number of articles written. If the chathost is incredibly skillful, I bet they could give people links to those articles on this very chat. Or give you a link to the radio show from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on 106.7 FM. But I'm sorry, I just can't be part of such shameless self-promotion in a chat like this. Instead, I will just say, Have you tried Boxwood Winery's Bourdeaux? Splendid, just splendid. I think the other part of the question is for you, Mr. Cooke. _______________________ WDC: Thanks for doing this chat Mr. Cooke. Do you have a favorite Redskins moment? John Kent Cooke: John Riggins' run in Super Bowl XVII. _______________________ Reston, Va.: Mike, First, love the radio show. E from Silver Spring = best caller. Second, great piece on the Cooke's. I recall there was a battle between Howard Milstein and the NFL over Milstein's deposit of around 10 million after Milstein's bid was rejected by NFL owners. Did he ever get his money back? And finally, just how much inheritance tax would John Cooke have been liable for? Couldn't he have taken a loan out with the NFL to pay that off and keep the team in the Cooke family? Thank you. UnWise Mike: Reston, thanks for the kind words about the show. As for whether Howard Milstein got his money back, nope, he didn't get a red cent. Which, I believe, was part of the reason he sued for it afterward. Milstein actually got a guy to go to Bermuda and record Mr. Cooke, in an attempt to get Mr. Cooke to slander Milstein for legal purposes, and, of course, that's not how John Kent Cooke operates. So the spy never got anything and, hence, Milstein lost his court battle. The second part of that question is a tough one for me to answer. Mr. Cooke, can you help on that one? _______________________ Vienna, Va.: UnWise Mike, do you think there is any chance that Snyder takes his ball and goes home ? I am sure he would turn a nice profit by selling the team. UnWise Mike: The billion-dollar question. I don't believe Daniel Snyder will sell simply because he continues to make money hand over fist with the Washington Redskins' property. But, if he is nothing else, he is a businessman. And at some point if your risk outweighs your reward, it becomes time to think with your head instead of your heart. Now, is that three years, five years, 10, I don't know. But the value of the franchise has not exactly plummeted yet, even in down economic times. _______________________ Washington D.C. in the 35332: John, You said in the article and interview on Wise's show (both were exceptional by the way). That you would like to get back involved in owning a sports team again in the DC area. First question I have is if you have considered or been approached about minority ownership in any of the franchises outside the NoVA baseball bid? Also there are always attempts at developing spring football/development football leagues, like the UFL, have you ever thought about that rout, even just toyed with the idea in your head? I know personally I would rather root for a Cooke owned non-NFL team over a Snyder owned NFL team, and I am probably not alone. John Kent Cooke: Many thanks, but I prefer the major leagues. _______________________ Arlington, VA: Very occasionally, during the first Gibbs era, a story would come out about Coach Gibbs and the GM having to meet with your father at the Charlottesville residence. The stories (some told by Coach Gibbs himself) were always funny, because the meetings were always when there were serious issues on the team (e.g., arguments over personnel and/or possible trades), and Coach Gibbs always said that the attendees were always scared to death. Your dad was invariably described as "angry," but he heard everyone out and invariably he determined what needed to be done and told everyone to go do it (in no uncertain terms). Coach Gibbs always laughed about how fast he got out of there. Contrast that style of strong but hands-off leadership to the current meddling that goes on with the Redskins, and I think the problem is clear. Do you recall any of those meetings? John Kent Cooke: Those stories are true. Both Joe and Bobby when asked a question by my father answered by looking at me, not at him. Dad and I often laughed about it. _______________________ Taxes: How much inheritance tax would John Cooke have been liable for? Couldn't he have taken a loan out with the NFL to pay that off and keep the team in the Cooke family? Thank you. John Kent Cooke: 55% in 1999 - another thing that shoud be changed to keep family businesses. _______________________ Baltimore: Mike, I enjoyed your profile of John Kent Cooke. He seems very much a gentleman (unlike others in positions of power at Ashburn), and I very much enjoyed the nostalgic what-if... what if the Cookes kept the team. Until I hit this show-stopper... "And the mistake that Snyder made is that he got rid of Norv too soon." Ummm. Did he forget that at the moment John Kent Cooke lost the team, Norv had been the Redskins coach for five years. His record at that point was 33-46 (.413)... And now, in the midst of his fifth post-DC season, his hometown paper yesterday ran this headline: "Norv Turner's Chargers are stumbling around without a leader." But I guess he's developing. His career winning percentage is now a frothy .448. I'm the last person to defend Dan Snyder, but lets not romanticize the John Kent Cooke years. He ran the team for a couple undistinguished years before Snyder won the reins. I don't recall a sense among the fans that the Redskins were well on the road to restoring the Glory Days when he left (though, of course, they weren't anywhere near as despondent as today). UnWise Mike: Is that a question? I don't know. They probably should have done then what they're not doing now: admitting they were rebuilding. AFter some down times, they made the playoffs with Norv, who won exactly as many playoff games as Joe Gibbs II. Did Norv have enough time? Sure. But do you really want to axe a guy at 7-6? If what came after was 9 years of legendary football, yes. After what people have seen around here lately, I think a lot of people would take Norv at this minute. _______________________ Apathetic Fan: Mr. Cooke: Do you still watch the Redskins games? Do you root for the team to win? John Kent Cooke: I am still a Redskins fan. Ask UnWise Mike. _______________________ Alexandria, Va.: Mike, you don't put any credence in the theory that Snyder's losses in other ventures (6 Flags and Johnny Rockets) have forced him into crassly commercializing every aspect of the Redskins? UnWise Mike: I'm sure any tycoon whose other businesses are suffering wants to maximize the profitability of a business that is making money. But to suggest he wouldn't have gone crazy with the marketing of the Redskins if his other businesses were doing well might be a little much. I mean, what got Dan rich -- really rich? Snyder Communications, a marketing outfit. It's what he knows. It's what he does. It's like asking a scorpion not to bite someone. It's his nature. Can't help it. _______________________ Palisades, D.C.: Mr. Cooke - I just want to thank you for speaking out about this issue. I grew up here in DC in the team's glroy years, and remember the positive, unifyinf effect the team had on the city. I am heartbroken that my children won't have the chance to experience the fun and companionship that we all shared, as long as this idiotic napoleon complex owns the team. Best of luck to you in the future. John Kent Cooke: Thanks very much. _______________________ Question for Mike: How difficult was it (or wasn't it) to convince Mr. Cooke to talk to you, after he'd been more or less in hiding for all these years? UnWise Mike: Well, he really didn't see any reason why anyone would want to hear from him at first -- which showed his humility. Secondly, because of all the great work Thomas Heath and Lenny Shapiro had done chronicling Mr. Cooke's life and times, I wasn't sure how candid he would be with two people he really didn't know or come to trust yet. And when Stephen Ball and I drove up to his estate, well, we were lucky he did. We frankly did not expect Mr. Cooke to be that candid and open. It wasn't until we walked out of his estate and started driving that we looked at each other and said, "Holy $%#@! That was some pretty powerful stuff." So, if I hadn't said it enough, thank you again, Mr. Cooke. You made our day. _______________________ washingtonpost.com: The UnWise Mike Show: 106.7 The Fan _______________________ Fort Worth, TX: -offline only, please] - Hi Papa John! Tell Juliane the Davises say hi. Kathy is friends with Ann Marie Bratton's daughter, Alexandra! Small world! Enjoyed reading about you - you're the greatest! We enjoyed knowing you. Regards to Rita too! Kimberly Davis John Kent Cooke: Hi Kimberly. Seeing Juliane tomorrow - will say hello for you. _______________________ Submit a Question or Comment [/Quote] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Walton Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I love what Jack did for this team, franchise and city but listening and reading what John has to say is some serious salt in the wounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECU-ALUM Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 This is just unreal...no doubt how he feels about the current ownership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattFancy Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 This is just unreal...no doubt how he feels about the current ownership. It seems like many former players or what not are not happy with how things are going. If all this doesn't get Snyder's attention, I don't know what will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prufRock Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I don't know how much else can happen around this team to create more of a media circus leading in to the MNF game. This is a perfect storm of bad omens around this team: 1) Lewis and the playcalling situation 2) Largent blasting Snyder 3) Cooke blasting Snyder It's amazing that the question of who should be the starting quarterback has almost no traction in the media right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy Smith Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Kudos to the WP for putting media pressure where in belongs: squarely on Snyder. By having chats like this, and running UnWise Mike's article about how Snyder acquired the franchise, etc., it reminds everyone who's truly at fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibarramedia Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Washington D.C: After seeing Norv Turner struggle in D.C, Oakland, and now San Diego do you still believe he was the right head coach after Richie Petitbon? Also do you think the amount of time he had to coach the Redskins was justified given his results? John Kent Cooke: I believe Norv deserved a chance. He began to prove his ability in the 1999 season. By the way, I think Richie Petitbon deserved more time to prove himself. That was our mistake. Richie never had a chance.... Things might have been different he he stayed more than a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibarramedia Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Didn't see this in Breaking news, or on here. Looks like Cooke is taking questions on the Washington Post web site:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/10/21/DI2009102101116.html?hpid=topnews Here's what's been said so far: UnWise Mike: Hi everyone. Thanks for joining John Kent Cooke and me today. Between his winery, newspaper businesses (God bless anyone, by the way, who supports the newspaper business), he's a very busy man. So let's get right to the questions. I've got 45 min. or so to answer. _______________________ John Kent Cooke: Good afternoon. I am delighted to be here to answer as many questions as I can.......... _______________________ Washington, DC: Why are you doing this chat? UnWise Mike: Because I love attention. : ). I know, that question was probably for Mr. Cooke. But I can tell you in all seriousness that anytime you get to interact with readers in these kind of forums, as a writer, it gives you a better feeling for what people are actually thinking -- as opposed to just editors and writers working in a vacuum. _______________________ Paul, MD: Mr. Cooke, I just wanted to let you know that I as a fan am extremely sorry your family does not still own the Skins. Your father built the Skins into what they are monetarily by what he did to make it enjoyable as a fan. His devotion was to his customers, the fans first. His not charging season ticket holders for preseason games, giving the opportunity to those on the waiting list reflected that and is in sharp contrast to the way the ownership operates today. My foregoing the family's 4 tickets that were held for decades is a testament to the fact that the experience is lost. As a dedicated fan since a kid -- through thick and thin -- I find it sad that I do not care what happens to the organization anymore. Life is more important than a game, and I can not take any enjoyment in giving my money to a man that sues fans in economic hard times when their money is needed elsewhere in their lives. No question, just wanted to thank you and your family for the great years. John Kent Cooke: It is a sad situation. Thank you for your kind comments. _______________________ Native Washingtonian...: ...whose blood runs burgundy (well, it used to...). There's no other way to put it: the story about you broke my heart. The way Mr. Snyder has run this team is the polar opposite of everything you and your father did. You built something. He's trying to buy something. I have been a Redskins fan since the day I was born, but am finding myself sorely tested these days... I did think the quote from Sonny at the end of the piece -- that had your father thought you could run the team, he would have left it to you, was out of line. (After all, he's well known to be in the pro-Snyder camp.) While I don't think you would share exactly what you really think of Sonny and his comment, I am curious at your thoughts on it in general. John Kent Cooke: Sonny was mistaken. My father could not leave the Redskins to me and the family for two reasons: he wanted the foundation to be significant and the size of his estate at that time was not as large as it was previously, and subject to estate taxes. When my father realized this he changed his will that had previously allowed him to pass the Redskins to my family and Elmendorf Racing Stables to my brother's family. _______________________ Washington, D.C.: Mike, I just wanted to say that this story was beautifully written and a pleasure to read. UnWise Mike: Thanks much. I hate to be one of those guys that says, "I couldn't have done it without my offensive line," but the bottom line is it's true. And my offensive line was Stephen Ball, a part-time staffer at the Post and an assistant producer on my radio show. Stephen came up with the original idea of getting Mr. Cooke to talk about the current state of the franchise and what's he's doing these days (which was also chronicled in many ways over the years very well by Tom Heath and Lenny Shapiro at the Post). He found all the stories written by Tom, Lenny, Tony Kornheiser, Peter Pearl, Mark Maske, etc., and from there we came up with what I thought were some good questions. Of course, he didn't have to answer Stephen and I. Because he did, because Mr. Cooke gave us a real piece of himself over about three hours and two interviews, well, he made the story happen for us. We were just happy to tell it. _______________________ Mt. Pleasant Mills, Pa.: How do I go about finding a bottle of wine from your winery? John Kent Cooke: Unfortunately, we are forbidden by Pennsylvania state law to ship wine directly to the consumer. Raise hell with them and visit our satellite Tasting Room in Reston Town Center, Virginia. John Kent Cooke: Cheers! _______________________ Welcome back: Mr. Cooke, I'm wondering why you went for so many years without discussing publicly what happened in the aftermath of your father's death. Also curious as to why you decided to speak now. Was it the stunning fall of the franchise that prompted you to speak out? Either way, it's nice for us faithful to hear from you. Goes without saying that we truly miss the old days - and the old owner. John Kent Cooke: Thank you for your nice comment. I decided to speak now because the current organization has had 10 years to prove themselves and failed. The failure was compounded with the way they have treated the fans by suing them and taking advantage of them by overcommercializing everything in sight. _______________________ Arlington, Va.: First of all, Daniel Snyder is the worst thing that could have ever happened to the Redskins. Despite the way he is running the Redskins organization, I think the biggest travesty is the fact that he sold the naming rights to the stadium in Landover. This stadium was Mr. Cooke's legacy, built with his own money, and its name should have remained Jack Kent Cooke Stadium to memorialize his life and death. It was he who brought the team to glory, and Danny boy who is bringing it down. How do feel about this? John Kent Cooke: AMEN! _______________________ Washington, DC: Did you ever have an opportunity to meet Vinny Cerrato? What was your impression of him? UnWise Mike: Yes. He is a great radio personality. (Okay, I couldn't help it. This question I believe is for you, Mr. Cooke.) _______________________ Washington D.C: After seeing Norv Turner struggle in D.C, Oakland, and now San Diego do you still believe he was the right head coach after Richie Petitbon? Also do you think the amount of time he had to coach the Redskins was justified given his results? John Kent Cooke: I believe Norv deserved a chance. He began to prove his ability in the 1999 season. By the way, I think Richie Petitbon deserved more time to prove himself. That was our mistake. _______________________ Washington, DC: John, in his recently-concluded chat, Post columnist Tom Boswell had this to say about your father: "JKC was one mean old bird. A good owner. But otherwise, wow, what a piece of work." I think a lot of people have this same impression. Would you care to comment? John Kent Cooke: Tom Boswell obviously did not know my father. _______________________ Woodbridge, Va.: Mr. Cooke and Mr. Wise How are you all doing? Mr. Wise, I just wanted to say you have done a fantastic job with yet another very insightful article. This article, coupled with your articles on Donald Brashear, Joe Bugel after his daughter passed away, and the article on Joe Gibbs dealing with his grandsons leukemia are my favorites of yours. Mr. Cooke. I just wanted to say I felt the most interesting piece of the article was your first and only meeting with Dan Snyder. What was it about his actions/demeanor that day that caused you to see he was the wrong person to go into business with? Thanks. UnWise Mike: Thank you very much. It means a lot when someone remembers a number of articles written. If the chathost is incredibly skillful, I bet they could give people links to those articles on this very chat. Or give you a link to the radio show from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on 106.7 FM. But I'm sorry, I just can't be part of such shameless self-promotion in a chat like this. Instead, I will just say, Have you tried Boxwood Winery's Bourdeaux? Splendid, just splendid. I think the other part of the question is for you, Mr. Cooke. _______________________ WDC: Thanks for doing this chat Mr. Cooke. Do you have a favorite Redskins moment? John Kent Cooke: John Riggins' run in Super Bowl XVII. _______________________ Reston, Va.: Mike, First, love the radio show. E from Silver Spring = best caller. Second, great piece on the Cooke's. I recall there was a battle between Howard Milstein and the NFL over Milstein's deposit of around 10 million after Milstein's bid was rejected by NFL owners. Did he ever get his money back? And finally, just how much inheritance tax would John Cooke have been liable for? Couldn't he have taken a loan out with the NFL to pay that off and keep the team in the Cooke family? Thank you. UnWise Mike: Reston, thanks for the kind words about the show. As for whether Howard Milstein got his money back, nope, he didn't get a red cent. Which, I believe, was part of the reason he sued for it afterward. Milstein actually got a guy to go to Bermuda and record Mr. Cooke, in an attempt to get Mr. Cooke to slander Milstein for legal purposes, and, of course, that's not how John Kent Cooke operates. So the spy never got anything and, hence, Milstein lost his court battle. The second part of that question is a tough one for me to answer. Mr. Cooke, can you help on that one? _______________________ Vienna, Va.: UnWise Mike, do you think there is any chance that Snyder takes his ball and goes home ? I am sure he would turn a nice profit by selling the team. UnWise Mike: The billion-dollar question. I don't believe Daniel Snyder will sell simply because he continues to make money hand over fist with the Washington Redskins' property. But, if he is nothing else, he is a businessman. And at some point if your risk outweighs your reward, it becomes time to think with your head instead of your heart. Now, is that three years, five years, 10, I don't know. But the value of the franchise has not exactly plummeted yet, even in down economic times. _______________________ Washington D.C. in the 35332: John, You said in the article and interview on Wise's show (both were exceptional by the way). That you would like to get back involved in owning a sports team again in the DC area. First question I have is if you have considered or been approached about minority ownership in any of the franchises outside the NoVA baseball bid? Also there are always attempts at developing spring football/development football leagues, like the UFL, have you ever thought about that rout, even just toyed with the idea in your head? I know personally I would rather root for a Cooke owned non-NFL team over a Snyder owned NFL team, and I am probably not alone. John Kent Cooke: Many thanks, but I prefer the major leagues. _______________________ Arlington, VA: Very occasionally, during the first Gibbs era, a story would come out about Coach Gibbs and the GM having to meet with your father at the Charlottesville residence. The stories (some told by Coach Gibbs himself) were always funny, because the meetings were always when there were serious issues on the team (e.g., arguments over personnel and/or possible trades), and Coach Gibbs always said that the attendees were always scared to death. Your dad was invariably described as "angry," but he heard everyone out and invariably he determined what needed to be done and told everyone to go do it (in no uncertain terms). Coach Gibbs always laughed about how fast he got out of there. Contrast that style of strong but hands-off leadership to the current meddling that goes on with the Redskins, and I think the problem is clear. Do you recall any of those meetings? John Kent Cooke: Those stories are true. Both Joe and Bobby when asked a question by my father answered by looking at me, not at him. Dad and I often laughed about it. _______________________ Taxes: How much inheritance tax would John Cooke have been liable for? Couldn't he have taken a loan out with the NFL to pay that off and keep the team in the Cooke family? Thank you. John Kent Cooke: 55% in 1999 - another thing that shoud be changed to keep family businesses. _______________________ Baltimore: Mike, I enjoyed your profile of John Kent Cooke. He seems very much a gentleman (unlike others in positions of power at Ashburn), and I very much enjoyed the nostalgic what-if... what if the Cookes kept the team. Until I hit this show-stopper... "And the mistake that Snyder made is that he got rid of Norv too soon." Ummm. Did he forget that at the moment John Kent Cooke lost the team, Norv had been the Redskins coach for five years. His record at that point was 33-46 (.413)... And now, in the midst of his fifth post-DC season, his hometown paper yesterday ran this headline: "Norv Turner's Chargers are stumbling around without a leader." But I guess he's developing. His career winning percentage is now a frothy .448. I'm the last person to defend Dan Snyder, but lets not romanticize the John Kent Cooke years. He ran the team for a couple undistinguished years before Snyder won the reins. I don't recall a sense among the fans that the Redskins were well on the road to restoring the Glory Days when he left (though, of course, they weren't anywhere near as despondent as today). UnWise Mike: Is that a question? I don't know. They probably should have done then what they're not doing now: admitting they were rebuilding. AFter some down times, they made the playoffs with Norv, who won exactly as many playoff games as Joe Gibbs II. Did Norv have enough time? Sure. But do you really want to axe a guy at 7-6? If what came after was 9 years of legendary football, yes. After what people have seen around here lately, I think a lot of people would take Norv at this minute. _______________________ Apathetic Fan: Mr. Cooke: Do you still watch the Redskins games? Do you root for the team to win? John Kent Cooke: I am still a Redskins fan. Ask UnWise Mike. _______________________ Alexandria, Va.: Mike, you don't put any credence in the theory that Snyder's losses in other ventures (6 Flags and Johnny Rockets) have forced him into crassly commercializing every aspect of the Redskins? UnWise Mike: I'm sure any tycoon whose other businesses are suffering wants to maximize the profitability of a business that is making money. But to suggest he wouldn't have gone crazy with the marketing of the Redskins if his other businesses were doing well might be a little much. I mean, what got Dan rich -- really rich? Snyder Communications, a marketing outfit. It's what he knows. It's what he does. It's like asking a scorpion not to bite someone. It's his nature. Can't help it. _______________________ Palisades, D.C.: Mr. Cooke - I just want to thank you for speaking out about this issue. I grew up here in DC in the team's glroy years, and remember the positive, unifyinf effect the team had on the city. I am heartbroken that my children won't have the chance to experience the fun and companionship that we all shared, as long as this idiotic napoleon complex owns the team. Best of luck to you in the future. John Kent Cooke: Thanks very much. _______________________ washingtonpost.com: For Capitals' Brashear, Fighting's a Way of Life (Post, May 2, 2009) Surrounded by His Linemen, Bugel Finds the Strength to Go On (Post, Oct. 12, 2008) Gibbs Draws Inspiration From Grandson's Fight (Post, Dec. 26, 2007) _______________________ Question for Mike: How difficult was it (or wasn't it) to convince Mr. Cooke to talk to you, after he'd been more or less in hiding for all these years? UnWise Mike: Well, he really didn't see any reason why anyone would want to hear from him at first -- which showed his humility. Secondly, because of all the great work Thomas Heath and Lenny Shapiro had done chronicling Mr. Cooke's life and times, I wasn't sure how candid he would be with two people he really didn't know or come to trust yet. And when Stephen Ball and I drove up to his estate, well, we were lucky he did. We frankly did not expect Mr. Cooke to be that candid and open. It wasn't until we walked out of his estate and started driving that we looked at each other and said, "Holy $%#@! That was some pretty powerful stuff." So, if I hadn't said it enough, thank you again, Mr. Cooke. You made our day. _______________________ washingtonpost.com: The UnWise Mike Show: 106.7 The Fan _______________________ Fort Worth, TX: -offline only, please] - Hi Papa John! Tell Juliane the Davises say hi. Kathy is friends with Ann Marie Bratton's daughter, Alexandra! Small world! Enjoyed reading about you - you're the greatest! We enjoyed knowing you. Regards to Rita too! Kimberly Davis John Kent Cooke: Hi Kimberly. Seeing Juliane tomorrow - will say hello for you. _______________________ Submit a Question or Comment This whole Q and A satisfied my curiosity over the years in the aftermath of JKC's passing. I'm wondering if they could have named the stadium Jack Kent Cooke's FEDEX Field instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stadium-Armory Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 Washington D.C: After seeing Norv Turner struggle in D.C, Oakland, and now San Diego do you still believe he was the right head coach after Richie Petitbon? Also do you think the amount of time he had to coach the Redskins was justified given his results? John Kent Cooke: I believe Norv deserved a chance. He began to prove his ability in the 1999 season. By the way, I think Richie Petitbon deserved more time to prove himself. That was our mistake. Richie never had a chance.... Things might have been different he he stayed more than a year. Here's what's interesting about that comment to me. That this man can admit a mistake. And other persons of interest don't seem capable of admitting anything, much less a mistake. The way our FO is structured, the owner is really the only person who is accountable. In a normal situation, the GM would be accountable. I don't buy the stuff about Vinny really being in charge. So at the end of the day, there is only one person who is accountable, and he doesn't do interviews or admint anything to anyone. And we're left with nobody being accountable for anything. No wonder the on field product sux. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johns Bass Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 55% estate taxes (1999)? That is criminal. Basically the government tax system forced this change of ownership situation. :mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Wow. That's one big ass block of text. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stadium-Armory Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 Wow. That's one big ass block of text. Hahah, yea, I probably didn't need to include it. Invariably someone will quote the whole thing. Lesson learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsNumberOne Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Hahah, yea, I probably didn't need to include it. Invariably someone will quote the whole thing. Lesson learned. No, the trick is to put it into a quote in your post. It is nice to include it so people don't have to go to the original link, but generally we have to excerpt it and not include the whole text. But also, if you quote the text in your original post, when someone quotes it, it doesn't get quoted again. This whole Q and A satisfied my curiosity over the years in the aftermath of JKC's passing. I'm wondering if they could have named the stadium Jack Kent Cooke's FEDEX Field instead. Just FYI, you need to remove that HUGE quote in your post above... just replace it with "..." in the quote, since we can all see the first post in the thread and that is the general subject of the whole thread anyway. It's too long of a post to quote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stadium-Armory Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 But also, if you quote the text in your original post, when someone quotes it, it doesn't get quoted again. Good call. I always wondered why it was done that way, and now I get it. Makes total sense, I'll go retrofit the OP. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsNumberOne Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Good call. I always wondered why it was done that way, and now I get it. Makes total sense. Thanks! Thanks for posting this article. Good read. I can understand why John would submit to an article or a write-up, but the chat? I hate to sound overly suspicious, but I am not sure I understand his motivations. Is it just to be connected to Redskin fans? If so, it seems like he may have said something sooner than 10 years (I don't necessarily by the "now it's been 10 years so I will come out" thing). I don't totally understand that aspect. That said, it was an interesting read. I tend to read things like this with a healthy dose of skepticism, but I still really enjoy reading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuryYourDuke Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 55% estate taxes (1999)? That is criminal. Basically the government tax system forced this change of ownership situation. :mad: People are forced to go out of business almost every day b/c of the criminal inheritance taxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 This is interesting. But I don't really understand what Cooke is doing ten years after the fact aside from getting his jollies by finally sticking it to Dan Snyder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DButz65 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Paul in MD got it wrong, JKC did charge for preseason games starting in and around 1992 or 93, might have been 93 or 94, cant remember for sure. I wish people would get their facts straight before asking questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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