Snyder fires business VP Lafemina and his execs

[welch]

Redskins shake up business operations, ousting Brian Lafemina and three deputies

By Liz Clarke December 26 at 4:21 PM

The Washington Redskins have ousted their president of business operations and chief operating officer, Brian Lafemina, after less than eight months on the job, dissatisfied with the early returns on his efforts to boost flagging season-ticket sales and game-day revenue.

Redskins officials refused to confirm the shake-up, but a person close to team confirmed that the ouster had taken place. Shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday, the team’s official website removed Lafemina’s name, and that of three key deputies, from the front-office page.

Even for notoriously impatient Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, the rise and fall of Lafemina — Snyder’s personally recruited No. 2, who was granted total control of the team’s business operations — represents stunning management whiplash. Ousted along with him in a major shake-up of the team’s business operations were the key staff he brought on board: Steven Ziff, hired as chief marketing officer in June, and chief commercial officer Todd Kline, hired in August. Jake Bye, senior vice president for consumer sales and marketing, resigned on Friday.

In introducing Lafemina as his latest executive hire on May 16, Snyder hailed Lafemina’s “fresh thinking, “big ideas” and “genuine belief that fans must be at the center of every decision we make.” Snyder had spent nearly a full year recruiting Lafemina from the NFL’s New York headquarters, envisioning him as the linchpin for reversing a revenue slide that was years in the making in his $3.1 billion NFL franchise and laying the groundwork for a new stadium to replace FedEx Field in 2027.

Initially granted broad latitude by Snyder to overhaul the Redskins’ ticket operation, Lafemina worked quickly and on multiple fronts. He started with transparency — acknowledging in June that a season-ticket waiting list the team had claimed numbered 200,000 no longer existed. He instituted single-game ticket sales; launched special promotions for government employees, scouts and service members; wrested unsold seats from the hands of brokers who had been selling division games to Cowboys, Eagles and Giants fans, with the goal of improving home-field advantage; removed obstructed seats; upgraded stadium amenities and vowed to “treat [fans] the way they ought to be treated.”

The initiatives were based on Lafemina’s eight years in the NFL office, where he served as liaison to the league’s 32 teams, helping develop and disseminate best business practices.

t appears as if Snyder has concluded, in evaluating what went wrong in yet another disappointing season, that the team’s weakest link is its business — more so than its performance on the field, in NFL drafts or in free agency.

A few months ago, sportswriters speculated that LaFemina was encouraged by the NFL HQ to join Snyder's team because the league wants to revive the "once proud" Washington franchise.

How does Snyder think???

Full story at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2 ... 52bec80f2c

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

For those who thought Dan Snyder has learned anything in his nearly twenty years as an NFL franchise owner ...

[gibbsfan]

For those who thought Dan Snyder has learned anything in his nearly twenty years as an NFL franchise owner ...

Nothing has changed .I agree with ya.

[El Mexican]

You can't polish a turd.

The product on the field is mediocre, to say the least.
That has been going on for at least the entire Gruden era.

No surprises here.

[riggofan]

For those who thought Dan Snyder has learned anything in his nearly twenty years as an NFL franchise owner ...

lol. He's just the worst. The absolute worst.

I've continued to support the team because I've always been able to separate the coaches and players from the management. But am I wrong or has it become painfully obvious this year that the players HATE being part of this franchise?

[riggofan]

The product on the field is mediocre, to say the least.
That has been going on for at least the entire Gruden era.

No surprises here.

At least the Gruden era? lol. Where were you for the Shanahan, Zorn and Spurrier eras??? hah. Gibbs II wasn't exactly a return to greatness for that matter...

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

For those who thought Dan Snyder has learned anything in his nearly twenty years as an NFL franchise owner ...

lol. He's just the worst. The absolute worst.

I've continued to support the team because I've always been able to separate the coaches and players from the management. But am I wrong or has it become painfully obvious this year that the players HATE being part of this franchise?

No, you're not wrong. Trent Williams was dumbfounded by the release of Swearinger. Duke Ihenacho said that is the most dysfunctional front office he's ever seen and he's been on about half of the teams in the league.

[Irn-Bru]

Still more evidence that top leadership is panicked and desperate and doesn't know what the hell they are doing. Shocker.

[Redskin in Canada]

t appears as if Snyder has concluded, in evaluating what went wrong in yet another disappointing season, that the team’s weakest link is its business — more so than its performance on the field, in NFL drafts or in free agency.

Buah ha ha ha ha

Worst owner EVER. Dysfunctional embarrassment does not even seem to fully describe this organisation.

The only way to fix this as fans is: stop spending ANY money on this team. No attendance to the stadium, no merchandise, no NFL TV, NOTHING!

The ONLY way he will understand is when the BUSINESS is NO BUSINESS anymore.

As bad as I feel for players and our fellow fans, I now HOPE for the team to LOSE and embarrass the owner every week. Not a bad prediction this coming week.

[El Mexican]

The product on the field is mediocre, to say the least.
That has been going on for at least the entire Gruden era.

No surprises here.

At least the Gruden era? lol. Where were you for the Shanahan, Zorn and Spurrier eras??? hah. Gibbs II wasn't exactly a return to greatness for that matter...

Actually, been here since Gibbs 1.0

Those other coaches you mention have damaged the franchise, I agree. But it's and additive process.
Gruden is working with zero experience as a HC and a soiled FO that makes him the weakest of the bunch. No spine at all.

At least Zorn had the audacity to run a crazy fake-field goal attempt versus NYG during the last days of his tenure, remember?
That "swinging gate" play that ended in an INT and left about three blockers versus the entire NYG D.

For me, that was Zorn showing the middle finger to the FO. It was stadium-sized protest.

Here's the video, just for a quick laugh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-tqLG__Al4

[riggofan]

Those other coaches you mention have damaged the franchise, I agree. But it's and additive process.
Gruden is working with zero experience as a HC and a soiled FO that makes him the weakest of the bunch. No spine at all.

Gruden has been a head coach for five years now. Not really sure what you mean. I respect your opinion, but I'd argue he's a better NFL coach than Zorn or Spurrier. And no disrespect to Shanahan's credentials, but I think you could make the case that Gruden has navigated this particular franchise as head coach way better than Shanny did.

My point with the "where you been" question though was just that the team being dysfunctional isn't exactly a new thing.

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

My point with the "where you been" question though was just that the team being dysfunctional isn't exactly a new thing.

The present team dysfunction began right about the time the NFL implemented a salary cap. But the Redskins have almost always been dysfunctional. They were dysfunctional under both George Preston Marshall and Edward Bennett Williams. We caught about a decade-long break with Jack Kent Cooke but he was just as dysfuntional as any other team owner excepting one thing: He hired Bobby Beathard and allowed Beathard to do his job. Beathard had the luxury of spending whatever he wanted to make the team a contender. Snyder does not allow anyone to do their job and he does not care if anyone is good at their job. He only cares if they kowtow to his every whim and demand. Danny has the added negative of not being able to simply outspend everyone for the best players and coaching talent. He can't bully the league into making the Redskins great again.

[DEHog]

Those other coaches you mention have damaged the franchise, I agree. But it's and additive process.
Gruden is working with zero experience as a HC and a soiled FO that makes him the weakest of the bunch. No spine at all.

Gruden has been a head coach for five years now. Not really sure what you mean. I respect your opinion, but I'd argue he's a better NFL coach than Zorn or Spurrier. And no disrespect to Shanahan's credentials, but I think you could make the case that Gruden has navigated this particular franchise as head coach way better than Shanny did.

My point with the "where you been" question though was just that the team being dysfunctional isn't exactly a new thing.

I get what you're saying, but it's also speaks to how Snyder has made us willing to accept mediocracy! Gruden wouldn't have lasted many places with his current coaching performance, yet we have fans saying he should stay and he's better than the alternatives...

[El Mexican]

Those other coaches you mention have damaged the franchise, I agree. But it's and additive process.
Gruden is working with zero experience as a HC and a soiled FO that makes him the weakest of the bunch. No spine at all.

Gruden has been a head coach for five years now. Not really sure what you mean. I respect your opinion, but I'd argue he's a better NFL coach than Zorn or Spurrier. And no disrespect to Shanahan's credentials, but I think you could make the case that Gruden has navigated this particular franchise as head coach way better than Shanny did.

My point with the "where you been" question though was just that the team being dysfunctional isn't exactly a new thing.

Five years is enough to show your worth in any job. Gruden has not.

The clown show running the FO does not help, but by now we should see some kind of improvement with the on-field product.
Sadly, we're still mediocre, injuries or not. This has happened basically every year he's been here.

Too many excuses and no clarity as to where he wants to take the team. That's the job of a HC, right?

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

Those other coaches you mention have damaged the franchise, I agree. But it's and additive process.
Gruden is working with zero experience as a HC and a soiled FO that makes him the weakest of the bunch. No spine at all.

Gruden has been a head coach for five years now. Not really sure what you mean. I respect your opinion, but I'd argue he's a better NFL coach than Zorn or Spurrier. And no disrespect to Shanahan's credentials, but I think you could make the case that Gruden has navigated this particular franchise as head coach way better than Shanny did.

My point with the "where you been" question though was just that the team being dysfunctional isn't exactly a new thing.

Five years is enough to show your worth in any job. Gruden has not.

The clown show running the FO does not help, but by now we should see some kind of improvement with the on-field product.
Sadly, we're still mediocre, injuries or not. This has happened basically every year he's been here.

Too many excuses and no clarity as to where he wants to take the team. That's the job of a HC, right?

Who would take the job that is a better option?

[SkinsJock]

Those other coaches you mention have damaged the franchise, I agree. But it's and additive process. Gruden is working with zero experience as a HC and a soiled FO that makes him the weakest of the bunch. No spine at all.

Gruden has been a head coach for five years now. Not really sure what you mean. I respect your opinion, but I'd argue he's a better NFL coach than Zorn or Spurrier. And no disrespect to Shanahan's credentials, but I think you could make the case that Gruden has navigated this particular franchise as head coach way better than Shanny did. My point with the "where you been" question though was just that the team being dysfunctional isn't exactly a new thing.

I get what you're saying, but it's also speaks to how Snyder has made us willing to accept mediocracy! Gruden wouldn't have lasted many places with his current coaching performance, yet we have fans saying he should stay and he's better than the alternatives.

as I keep harping on about the main problem here is to re-build the franchise & to change the culture, that means we need different people in charge

there's little chance Snyder will do anything and even if he does it will still take some time
so we can stay the course with some minor changes and hope that things get better - like we've done since 1999
OR
go with a new FO which is highly unlikely given the past
AND
unless the new guy(s) have a HC they know will be better (IMO most would be) they will keep Jay Gruden ... ugh

I can do this all day long

[riggofan]

I get what you're saying, but it's also speaks to how Snyder has made us willing to accept mediocracy! Gruden wouldn't have lasted many places with his current coaching performance, yet we have fans saying he should stay and he's better than the alternatives...

Yeah I wouldn't argue with your statement at all. Five years in the 6-10 to 9-7 range definitely wouldn't cut it in most franchises. After the past two decades or so, have you seen any evidence that there's a coach out there who can really succeed in THIS organization? I literally think it would have to be Bill Belichik himself to come in here, run the show, tell Snyder to STFU and be completely in charge.

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

After some thought I've decided this team in its current state is a waste of time. The one constant in every problem is Bruce Allen. Unless or until he is gone there is no reason to hope for the future. There's also one glaring reason why this forum is virtually dead. One person repeating himself ad nauseum and having the last word in virtually every discussion is just killing any interest. If people were honest they would admit this is at least one of their reasons for leaving. As of this moment there is no hope of either situation changing. Being a fan is hard enough right now without feeling talked over in every discussion in addition. There are about six regular members left and one of them dominates every conversation. There are too many alternative platforms where this is not a problem. I'm not in the business of telling anyone else how to run their site but if it were me I'd consider making sweeping changes.

[gibbsfan]

After some thought I've decided this team in its current state is a waste of time. The one constant in every problem is Bruce Allen. Unless or until he is gone there is no reason to hope for the future. There's also one glaring reason why this forum is virtually dead. One person repeating himself ad nauseum and having the last word in virtually every discussion is just killing any interest. If people were honest they would admit this is at least one of their reasons for leaving. As of this moment there is no hope of either situation changing. Being a fan is hard enough right now without feeling talked over in every discussion in addition. There are about six regular members left and one of them dominates every conversation. There are too many alternative platforms where this is not a problem. I'm not in the business of telling anyone else how to run their site but if it were me I'd consider making sweeping changes.

This being the biggest reason im not posting as much as well. ... It's hard enough knowing the state of the franchise and it ain't anything we can do but make a choice ... Thanks I I agree totally .

[welch]

Even the NY Times has taken notice of the state of the Redskins: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/27/spor ... P2xlvFn2cE

The Redskins Aren’t Very Good on the Field. Off It, They’re Even Worse.

By Kevin Draper
Dec. 27, 2018

When negotiations to keep the federal government open through Christmas collapsed last week, so did the latest attempt to build a new N.F.L. stadium in Washington. The federal government is perhaps the rare entity in the nation’s capital that is more dysfunctional than the region’s pro football team.

At 7-8, Washington will miss the playoffs for the 15th time in the 20 seasons since Dan Snyder bought the team in 1999. Alex Smith, the 34-year-old quarterback the Redskins signed for $111 million this off-season, fractured his tibia and fibula in November, then spent a month in the hospital fighting off an infection. The team’s current quarterback is Josh Johnson, who had last started a game in 2011 before taking over for Mark Sanchez — who had last started a game in 2015 — in Week 15.

With precious little salary cap room, next year’s outlook on the field isn’t any rosier. But it is also the constant self-inflicted, off-the-field controversies and indignities that have drained many fans in Washington of any enthusiasm they once had for the team.

“The fan base is just worn down, frustrated, completely fed up with the front office,” said Eric Bickel, a longtime fan and host of the “Sports Junkies” morning radio show in the area. “This was once a proud, heritage-filled franchise. There is a large percentage of the population here that has no experience with that.”

...and that's just the intro.

None of this — poor play, muddled stadium plans, off-field controversies — is anything new. Things were bad enough back in 2010 that Washington City Paper, the local alternative weekly, published an article about Snyder that it billed as “an encyclopedia of the owner’s many failings.” They included selling bags of expired airline peanuts to fans, firing a beloved announcer and suing a 73-year-old grandmother and season ticket holder.

Snyder later sued City Paper and the article’s author, Dave McKenna, before dropping his suit.

Washington last won a Super Bowl in 1991 and has not won a playoff game since the 2005 season. Since Snyder took over, the team is 139-179-1 and has not won more than 10 games in a season.

For convenience, here is McKenna's article from 2010, "The Cranky Redskin Fan's Guide to Dan Snyder - From A to Z (for Zorn), an encyclopedia of the owner's many failings". I had forgotten most of them. https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/new ... dan-snyder

[welch]

That was the New York Times. The Post just now: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/r ... 5b41907b0c

[Countertrey]

Dear Danny...

An executive change is needed, we all agree.

Lafemina was not it.

smh.

[SkinsJock]

still here ... it appears that opinions about this Redskins FO and what is needed are shared outside this forum

[HEROHAMO]

Since Snyder is fairly young and seems to be healthy. It is highly unlikely he is going to pass away any time soon.
So either we hire a legit GM and Head coach or..

Another Billionaire purchases the team. Maybe a group of former players or Magic Johnson with a group of investors?

[SkinsJock]

Since Snyder is fairly young and seems to be healthy. It is highly unlikely he is going to pass away any time soon.
So either we hire a legit GM and Head coach or.. Another Billionaire purchases the team. Maybe a group of former players or Magic Johnson with a group of investors?

I just can't see him selling the franchise and after all that has happened it's hard to believe he will make a good choice about making any changes