Craig Hoffman: Brian Lafemina, three other executives part ways with the Redskins

[TK]

When's the XFL start in DC? 

[SkinsFTW]

The comical part, to me, is how confident some fans are that this team is destined to turn the corner, all Dan has to do is fire his 2nd sock puppet.

 

I mean.... HELLO!?!?

 

Is it really that simple? All I have to do is hold up a decoy and you'll then proceed to allow me to kick you in the balls for 2 entire decades?!?!

 

For real?!?!

 

Wow!!!

 

[ThomasTomasz]

4 minutes ago, SkinsFTW said:

The comical part, to me, is how confident some fans are that this team is destined to turn the corner, all Dan has to do is fire his 2nd sock puppet.

 

I mean.... HELLO!?!?

 

Is it really that simple? All I have to do is hold up a decoy and you'll then proceed to allow me to kick you in the balls for 2 entire decades?!?!

 

For real?!?!

 

Wow!!!

 

He picked the sock puppet over a guy who he pursued for over a year to leave the NFL league office to come take over business operations.  Snyder gave Lafemina full control over business operations, and taking away some of the authority that Bruce Allen had over business.  Somehow, Allen got it all back, culminating with the Reuben Foster waiver claim.  

 

That is what makes zero sense about all of this.  Why pursue this guy so hard, then take power away from another guy, and kick the guy who you brought in to the curb after 8 months on the job.  

[SkinsFTW]

6 minutes ago, ThomasTomasz said:

 Snyder gave Lafemina full control over business operations, and taking away some of the authority that Bruce Allen had over business.  Somehow, Allen got it all back, culminating with the Reuben Foster waiver claim.  

 

 

 

Or, just like Schottenheimer, Shanahan and Mccloughan, he took his control back and now you're once again pointing at the sock puppet.

 

The trend doesn't suggest that Bruce has any power at all. For instance the one guy in the history of the Dan Snyder Redskins to clearly have full control turned the team around after starting 0 and 5 and then was fired for exactly the reason of him having full control.

 

That is an undeniable fact.

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

1 minute ago, ThomasTomasz said:

Why pursue this guy so hard, then take power away from another guy, and kick the guy who you brought in to the curb after 8 months on the job.  

I’m sure both Dan and Bruce didn’t like spending money on upgrades that didn’t pay immediate dividends, seeing less attendance than ever before, and admitting there was no waiting list.  If anything, we know for certain that Dan Snyder is shortsighted.  Add to that, I’m sure LaFemina shared with him that the negative fan sentiment roots much deeper than a crappy stadium. That fans don’t like the way they do business.  I’d imagine everything about LaFemina’s tenure here Dan hated, even things like extending the olive branch to 106.7 The Fan and mending that relationship, considering how badly they’ve crushed Dan and Bruce in the past.  What Dan wanted was for him to come here and work magic, he didn’t want the truth about what’s wrong with his organization nor a plan that shakes up the very small circle of friends he’s built in Ashburn.

[Rufus T Firefly]

2 hours ago, c slag said:

This move doesn't make any sense seems like these people were doing a good job and being professional 

[mcdonaldrw]

I swear with the way Snyder runs this team, and the decisions he allows to be made by Bruce really make me think he is trying to tank the team intentionall like the movie Major League.  I mean how can any one person be so bad at running a business.

[Rufus T Firefly]

1 hour ago, SkinsFTW said:

The comical part, to me, is how confident some fans are that this team is destined to turn the corner, all Dan has to do is fire his 2nd sock puppet.

 

I mean.... HELLO!?!?

 

Is it really that simple? All I have to do is hold up a decoy and you'll then proceed to allow me to kick you in the balls for 2 entire decades?!?!

 

For real?!?!

 

Wow!!!

 

I don't know anyone who's saying that. But Dan isn't going to sell the team. He just isn't. The only hope is he hires someone good to run the football side, either thru sheer luck, or because he trusted smart people (ie Gibbs and Beathard) to steer him in the right direction to try to stop the financial losses/embarrassment that's going on.

 

Him bring someone good, or better, is a bit of a long shot, but it's no shot until Bruce is fired. Ergo, Bruce going is literally the only hope we have. If he hires another Burce, I'll root for that one to fail quickly, too. It's all I can do.

[FrFan]

3 hours ago, c slag said:

This move doesn't make any sense seems like these people were doing a good job and being professional 

We're a joke on the field and we fire a guy in charge of business/marketing, that does make sense because we're winning OFF the field !!!

Merry Harvest festivities

 

 

[dyst]

What the **** is Dan’s issues with 106.7 man. Get the **** over it. They are a radio station and you are a damn billionaire. Grow some ****ing thick skin.

 

Nothing 106.7 says is a lie but this guy just wants to silence them and everything they say or do pisses him off. What a ****ty owner. 

 

From day one, when he bought a radio station and then extremeskins etc...you could tell he was trying to sway public opinion. Sell the ****ing team please.

[Hail4Life]

This franchise is falling apart at the seams...what a disaster! Nobody respects this franchise. So sad to see as such a huge fan of this team.

[Tsailand]

5 hours ago, The Hangman- C_Hanburger said:

I think I've finally broken my fan addiction, 1970 to 2018...been a Redskins Fan..

 

1991-2017 here.  I've watched maybe five Redskins games this season, but every Vikings game.

 

Yet, somehow, I'm still here.  What is the Vikings board?  ExtremeSkol?  I don't want to go there.

[Wildbunny]

8 hours ago, Riggo-toni said:

Someone needs to start printing t-shirts that say

Dan Snyder Sucks...but Bruce Allen Swallows.

 

I can see Mia Khalifa wearing that kind of shirt!

[bakedtater1]

7 hours ago, normal_gymnasium said:

 

It is, but it would take an especially egregious offense to force the league to eat one of their own. The owner would have to commit a very serious crime or otherwise act in a way that simply could not be reconciled, such as coming out as a member of the KKK or something like that.

 

Jim Irsay was driving around under the influence and was found with a bunch of illegal prescription drugs in his car and $29K. He was charged with 4 felony drug charges and DWI. He still owns the Colts.

 

Jimmy Haslam was implicated in a $56M fraud case involving his family business. He still owns the Browns.

 

Bone crushing incompetence is hardly something that the NFL cares much about.

Damn..I remember that about irsay..so we're screwed lol

[desertbeagle85]

I never thought I'd say this but I'm about done with this team. Nothing will change with Snyder being the owner. So what's the point anymore.

[profusion]

Since Dan owns this very board (I guess), maybe he ought to stop by and do some reading. 

 

We are the core supporters of his business. When I first started visiting a few years ago, I was shocked at how many people would support anything this toxic shmuck did.

 

You don't see that anymore. You'd think even Mr. Marketing Genius could figure that out. 

 

I'll admit, I'm angrier than I should be about. He's ruined a beloved institution--the repository of so many wonderful memories and family connections for so many of us. 

[Skinsinparadise]

8 hours ago, LetThePointsSoar said:

 

That’s the same assumption we had going into 2013 after a 10-6 season before we imploded to 3-13.   Spoiler alert, that’s where this team is headed next season.  This organization is rotten and stinking to the utter core from the inside out.

 

Yeah that's what I think is going to happen, too.  It's a long off season so I might change my mind.  And this is from a dude who has been somewhat optimistic in recent years before the season for their chances.  It does really feel like 3-13 in 2019.  If that happens I do think Bruce is finally gone. I have little hope for Dan but from what I heard eventually the minority owners step in and tell him enough is enough and that's what probably led to Vinny's ouster. 

[RandyHolt]

Run scapegoats, run. 

 

It's proof positive that Dan's only marketing plan has been to grasp at our consecutive sellouts / wait list circle of lies.  Now that the sheer curtain has finally been pulled back, Bruce and Dan were the ones that couldn't handle the truth. 

 

Talk about a tough job, trying to market the Skins with Bruce in charge.

 

This is yet another PR disaster. We couldn't wait 5 days to fire them at the end of the season.  SOP would say clean the exec house at the end of the season, not 5 days before the end.  Heh, their ineptitude may actually be a glimmer of hope. For now, with many meaningless games on the slate, maybe the talking heads will focus on us more than they would have, otherwise.

 

Let's bury the Swearinger gaffe!!!1! Damn Dan We are brilliant!  Hey why is JLC talking about him wanting Bruce fired....

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

5 hours ago, dyst said:

What the **** is Dan’s issues with 106.7 man. Get the **** over it. They are a radio station and you are a damn billionaire. Grow some ****ing thick skin.

 

Nothing 106.7 says is a lie but this guy just wants to silence them and everything they say or do pisses him off. What a ****ty owner. 

 

From day one, when he bought a radio station and then extremeskins etc...you could tell he was trying to sway public opinion. Sell the ****ing team please.

 

Listening to beat guys, 106.7 guys talk about it.  The impression I get is that Dan and Bruce are brother in arms who think they are great people who are really really smart and oddly get a bum rap for no reason from the media especially the WP and 106.7

 

JLC said recently the fact that the media attacks Bruce, from what he heard emboldens Dan to keep him even more to show he doesn't bow to their pressure.  He said that same thing is what kept Vinny as long as he did.

 

The more I think about it, the more I think it has to be the minority owners eventually say enough is enough and supposedly they did so in the past.

 

The only rap of optimism I get from this is Chris Russell's narrative which is that Bruce's ride with Dan wasn't that smooth this year and Bruce convinced Dan give him one more ride on the rodeo and trust him he won't be disappointed -- that it was a great roster foiled by bad luck.    The way he describes it, Bruce isn't there for life but weaseled one more chance.  

[dyst]

41 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

The only rap of optimism I get from this is Chris Russell's narrative which is that Bruce's ride with Dan wasn't that smooth this year and Bruce convinced Dan give him one more ride on the rodeo and trust him he won't be disappointed

Dan is truly an idiot if he believes that. 

[KDawg]

I try to stay kind of neutral on these types of news bits.

 

We never know the full story when its reported. Just bits and pieces of it and it's partial truths.

 

With Swearinger I didn't love the idea of his release, but I tried not to get too upset about it because there are always things we don't know with these stories. The Smoot tweet about how DJ didn't really get along with many people except Z. Brown, etc. There's two sides to every story and the truth is generally in the middle.

 

This one though... This one is baffling.

 

And given recent news that Snyder lives in a bubble world with no email and no social media, it's a deep concern. It's like Snyder sees a 7-8 football team, which is mediocre by any standard, and then sees the empty stadium. His thoughts wander around, "Gee, we've had this record before and still had a lot of people at the games! What's going on here? The team is decent! It has to be the marketing staff. Where's my assistant? SHARON!? SHARON!? Call Bruce. Tell him to fire the entire marketing department because our stadium is empty. It's clear to me they are slacking based on attendance and I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT."

 

I'm holding out hope that this is a move to begin cleaning house. It's not going to be. But I am holding on to that glimmer of hope. But even if that happens, why the hell do you start with marketing? 

 

*deep sigh*

[Riggo-toni]

The brutal reality for Dannyboy is that nobody under 40 has the kinds of memories of greatness that keep us old folks struggling to throw off our Redskins addiction.  Nothing is going to convince post-Gen-xers to leave the comfort of their living room with HDTV and shell out wads of cash to watch a perennial loser in person.

 

Snyder is a skilled advertiser who managed to squeeze out revenue from all kinds of untapped sources, but his blatant incompetence has depleted the last reserves of loyalty he has always been confident he could exploit.

 

As older fans are moving away, losing interest, or dying off, there is barely a trickle of new fans to replenish their ranks. Snyder can shuffle deck chairs on the Titanic all he wants; it won't alter the reality that his vessel was made of inferior steel, is steadily sinking, and he's the one who led it into the iceberg.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I'm just really sad.  

 

My best friend texted me yesterday with "WTF, I'm done for real now" and I texted back "Haha what'd they do now?" Then he told me that Lafemina and others were being let go.  I've been saying it for years, just when you think things can't get worse for this franchise, they inevitably do.  It's a black hole of suck, there's no end in site.  You guys thought it was bad when Smith broke his leg?  Oh man, we were just getting warmed up.  You thought releasing Swearinger was awful?  Week ain't over yet.  

 

It's just sad, all around.  Sad to see good people like Lafemina lose their job.  Sad to know that he probably had one foot in the grave already on his first day on the job.  Sad to see Bruce wields power.  Sad to see that Dan, after all these years, still doesn't get it.  

 

Sad to read a lot of the responses on here.  In a weird way, I take being a sports fan seriously in three main ways.  I'm not necessarily talking about wins and losses, (but that's certainly a big part of it) I'm more talking about the sense of community and belonging.  I've always felt that sports unite, politics divides.  It's so ****ing cheesy to say but it's great to be at a game with people from different backgrounds, racial, social, economical all putting their differences aside for a few hours to root for the home team.  In a time where the tone in this country is incredibly tense, I think we need sports more than ever to remind us that we can all agree on things.  Even if those things are as ultimately trivial as rooting for a football team.  

 

The second part I take seriously of being a fan is the amount of time people have spent on this team.  You can attach dollar amounts to the number of tickets you've bought, shirts, jerseys, hats, stickers.  But you can't attach a dollar amount to the amount of time you've spent sitting on the Beltway getting to the game.  Hours spent tailgating.  Hours spent sitting at a bar watching the game.  Hours spent on Extremeskins reading posts and replying, especially when it's probably cutting into how you make money in your day job.  Sitting in the car listening to sports talk radio.  Reading columns in the WaPo and other outlets.  Twitter.  Instagram.  Talking about the team with friends.  Talking about the team with family.  And not just now, but the whole time you've been growing up and getting to this point.  It's fathers and sons, mothers and daughters.  It's being taken to a football game when you were a kid at RFK with your dad and remembering how the stadium shook when you were in the seats two rows from the top of the upper deck.  It's watching the game on TV and having him explain to you what's going on and who the good players are.  It's the memory of hearing your mom singing Hail to the Redskins when they scored a touchdown (and not just the chorus but ALL THE WORDS).  And for those of you who have kids, it's passing it on down to your children.  

 

The third part that I think of, and what really ties the first two parts together is the overriding loyalty we have.  All of you that post on here are diehards.  I'd imagine that if you're this loyal and invested to your team, you're probably really loyal to your friends, family and co-workers.  If you can stay through the thick and thin with something as ultimately meaningless as a football team, you're most likely REALLY good at being loyal to the stuff that matters.  Bandwagon fans suck.  Fake friends and fake people suck.  It's why people are in this thread saying they can't root for the Vikings or Saints or another team, because it's not the real deal.  I signed up for a Vikings message board a few days after they signed Kirk and made a few posts.  I've been back on there once since then.  It's just not the same.  

 

And it's just ****ing sad to see fans in here that are older than me (I was born in '81), who have seen more than me and spent more time than me just throwing in the towel.  It's sad to see younger fans than me who don't have any recollection of the glory years and who have nothing to go on but older generations telling them "Man, this town is AWESOME when the Skins are good," just resigning.  

 

It's sad to see the players walking off the field with their heads down while fans boo and yell at them.  I've been around those guys in the locker room after blowout losses, and believe me, they care.  They're world class athletes and fierce competitors, they don't like to lose.  Swearinger cared.  It's sad to see a guy like Kerrigan waste a great career here.   What a professional that guy is.  

 

It's just sad to see Snyder and Allen ****ing repeatedly stab this franchise and fanbase in the heart, repeatedly, until it's just a disgusting, bloody pulp.  They've just taken a giant **** on the whole thing.  It'd be one thing if they were out front and center and being great ambassadors, shaking hands with fans and saying "Hey, we appreciate you being here, we appreciate your time.  We know you're not happy with the way the season is playing out, we aren't either.  We're working hard to turn it around and we really appreciate your support."  Just throw us that bone.  It's sad to see Dan and Bruce hiding behind Doug Williams and Jay Gruden and leaving those guys to do the dirty work.  I think it'd be completely different if the Skins lost like this but Dan and Bruce were transparent and accessible.  But no, they're doing their absolute best to kill the loyal fans and take a giant **** on all the time, money and effort you've spent on this team for years and years.

 

I'm just sad.  Tired and sad.  I used to get mad and upset, I can't even bring myself to do it anymore.  It's like being out in the ocean and getting hammered by a wave, dragged along in the undertow, getting up with salt water stinging your eyes, staggering around, only to get smacked by another wave because you can't see it coming.  It's exhausting.  I can't get mad anymore.  

 

My best friend who texted me yesterday with the news?  Biggest Skins fan I know.  Has the man-cave thing going on.  Autographed Sean Taylor #36 authentic above the fireplace. Jerseys, hats.  Starts getting hyped for the draft two months ahead of time, starts telling me about players who he wants the Skins to draft.  Watches every game, records every game.  Then watches the game AGAIN.  Listens to all the sports talk radio shows.  

 

This year, he's missed a few games.  Hasn't been paying attention like he used to.  Won't be watching this Sunday. 

 

It's sad.  

 

[DJHJR86]

Scott Jackson was on Galdi's show this morning sort of selling the narrative of "Lafemina was hired to sell tickets and they didn't sell tickets this year" as a reason he got fired.  Everywhere else is pretty much saying Lafemina was going to quit (because he wanted Allen gone) and when Snyder got wind of this, he fired him.  That's why the other executives resigned.  And why we'll continue to be a laughingstock of the league.  

[crabbypatty]

17 hours ago, OVCChairman said:

 

 

Thats called character.... fulfill your commitment, and when a new opportunity comes up you take it.  Throwing poo gets you nothing but noticed for all the wrong reasons. 

 

 

I'm feeling the same way myself buddy.  

same here.. 37 years I've been watching this team and I'm just giving up. I just don't have the energy or the desire to support this team anymore.

Sucks because I like some of the players, but hate the organization.