The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

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.

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

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

El Mexican wrote: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 wrote:

Burgundy&GoldForever wrote: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?

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.

riggofan wrote:

El Mexican wrote: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...

El Mexican wrote: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.

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

riggofan wrote:

El Mexican wrote: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.

riggofan wrote:

El Mexican wrote: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.

El Mexican wrote:

riggofan wrote:

El Mexican wrote: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?

DEHog wrote:

riggofan wrote:

El Mexican wrote: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.

DEHog wrote: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...

Burgundy&GoldForever wrote: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.

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.”

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.

HEROHAMO wrote: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?