After covering the Washington Redskins for two seasons, Howard Bryant has one word for the relationship between the team and the Washington Post: “dysfunctional.”
Says Bryant: “With the exception of Joe Gibbs, it’s difficult to get a straight answer out of anybody in the front office. Dan Snyder is in the locker room, yet he’s never available for comment.”
One on one with Snyder?
“Never,” he says. “They do give interviews, just not to us. All the powwows and summits and lunches we tried to have, from the day-to-day standpoint, they didn’t pay off.”
The Redskins and the Post have been feuding since Snyder reacted angrily to what he saw as negative coverage, and the team yanked hundreds of the Post’s season tickets. Snyder invited Post editors to his mansion for a peace conference, but it only inflamed tensions.
“The Redskin players and the coaches were open and helpful,” Bryant says. “The locker room was the best I’ve ever covered. The front office was closed.”
Redskins spokesman Karl Swanson doesn’t see the problem: “Gibbs is the team president and is the voice and face of the team.”
Bryant is headed to ESPN, where he’ll write for its magazine and appear on TV. He’s also writing a biography of Hank Aaron.
Bryant says the Redskins’ relationship with the Post isn’t that different from the way it treats most reporters attempting to cover the team. He has covered the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s. In every case, the front offices were more open and available to reporters.
“It’s the most contentious relationship with any team I’ve covered,” Bryant says. “There are no bouquets in either direction.”
He adds: “I think the Post realizes the best way to cover the Redskins is without the illusion of détente. It makes for better coverage, anyway.”
Indeed—much better than the cozy relationship the Post seemed to have with the Redskins for many years.
This piece originally appeared in the September 2007 edition of the magazine.
The Dysfunctional Relationship between the Post and the Redskins
Where's Dan, where's Vinny? They're not there.
After covering the Washington Redskins for two seasons, Howard Bryant has one word for the relationship between the team and the Washington Post: “dysfunctional.”
Says Bryant: “With the exception of Joe Gibbs, it’s difficult to get a straight answer out of anybody in the front office. Dan Snyder is in the locker room, yet he’s never available for comment.”
One on one with Snyder?
“Never,” he says. “They do give interviews, just not to us. All the powwows and summits and lunches we tried to have, from the day-to-day standpoint, they didn’t pay off.”
The Redskins and the Post have been feuding since Snyder reacted angrily to what he saw as negative coverage, and the team yanked hundreds of the Post’s season tickets. Snyder invited Post editors to his mansion for a peace conference, but it only inflamed tensions.
“The Redskin players and the coaches were open and helpful,” Bryant says. “The locker room was the best I’ve ever covered. The front office was closed.”
Redskins spokesman Karl Swanson doesn’t see the problem: “Gibbs is the team president and is the voice and face of the team.”
Bryant is headed to ESPN, where he’ll write for its magazine and appear on TV. He’s also writing a biography of Hank Aaron.
Bryant says the Redskins’ relationship with the Post isn’t that different from the way it treats most reporters attempting to cover the team. He has covered the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s. In every case, the front offices were more open and available to reporters.
“It’s the most contentious relationship with any team I’ve covered,” Bryant says. “There are no bouquets in either direction.”
He adds: “I think the Post realizes the best way to cover the Redskins is without the illusion of détente. It makes for better coverage, anyway.”
Indeed—much better than the cozy relationship the Post seemed to have with the Redskins for many years.
This piece originally appeared in the September 2007 edition of the magazine.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Former Fiola GM Convicted of Murder Is Now in a Netflix Docuseries
These 5 DC Traffic Cams Are Issuing the Most Tickets Right Now
Farewell to Crystal City Underground, the DC Area’s Strangest Mall
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2024
Inside the Urgent Effort to Preserve Black Newspapers
Maryland Has Renamed an Invasive Fish. Will It Matter?
Meet the 2024 Washington Women in Journalism Award Winners
In the Doghouse: Kristi Noem and 5 Other Canine Political Scandals