Compared to promoting the Iraq War, how tough of a sell could Dan Snyder be. Photograph of Fleischer via Alabama Republican Party.
Just how far is Dan Snyder willing to go in his defense of his NFL franchise’s name? According to emails obtained by Center for American Progress’s website ThinkProgress, the Redskins’ owner has assembled a rogues gallery of Washington spin-doctors to push back against the swelling number of critics who call out the team’s name as a derogatory term for Native Americans.
ThinkProgress’s long story, appropriately titled “The Epic Battle To Save The Most Offensive Team Name In Professional Sports,” includes correspondence from team officials to characters like wedge-issue wordsmith Frank Luntz, former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, and former Virginia Senator and Governor George Allen. The front office in Ashburn emailed them for advice on how to handle reporters’ questions about the ongoing controversy surrounding its name.
Luntz, a master of GOP talking points (see: “death tax”), was first hired by the team last spring, according to team emails.
Fleischer, President George W. Bush’s spokesman during the run-up to the Iraq War, is best remembered, perhaps, for accusing late-night comedians of sympathizing with terrorists.
Allen, son of one-time Washington coach George Allen and brother of general manager Bruce Allen, now runs a political consulting firm in Alexandria. It’s a bit surprising to see Allen offering message strategy considering his 2006 Senate re-election bid came apart thanks to his misspeaking during at a campaign stop, calling an opponent’s operative “macaca.” Confounding at the time, it was widely perceived as a racial slur.
Those three join Lanny Davis, a former Clinton White House lawyer whose client list has included dictators of oil-rich nations in West Africa. “We wonder why the protests are just about our 80-year-old Washington Redskins—and not all the other teams,” Davis told Washingtonian in October.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Meet Dan Snyder’s Team of Messaging Gurus
The Redskins owner's brain trust includes a former White House press secretary, a bumbling former senator, and an adviser to West African dictators.
Just how far is Dan Snyder willing to go in his defense of his NFL franchise’s name? According to emails obtained by Center for American Progress’s website ThinkProgress, the Redskins’ owner has assembled a rogues gallery of Washington spin-doctors to push back against the swelling number of critics who call out the team’s name as a derogatory term for Native Americans.
ThinkProgress’s long story, appropriately titled “The Epic Battle To Save The Most Offensive Team Name In Professional Sports,” includes correspondence from team officials to characters like wedge-issue wordsmith Frank Luntz, former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, and former Virginia Senator and Governor George Allen. The front office in Ashburn emailed them for advice on how to handle reporters’ questions about the ongoing controversy surrounding its name.
Luntz, a master of GOP talking points (see: “death tax”), was first hired by the team last spring, according to team emails.
Fleischer, President George W. Bush’s spokesman during the run-up to the Iraq War, is best remembered, perhaps, for accusing late-night comedians of sympathizing with terrorists.
Allen, son of one-time Washington coach George Allen and brother of general manager Bruce Allen, now runs a political consulting firm in Alexandria. It’s a bit surprising to see Allen offering message strategy considering his 2006 Senate re-election bid came apart thanks to his misspeaking during at a campaign stop, calling an opponent’s operative “macaca.” Confounding at the time, it was widely perceived as a racial slur.
Those three join Lanny Davis, a former Clinton White House lawyer whose client list has included dictators of oil-rich nations in West Africa. “We wonder why the protests are just about our 80-year-old Washington Redskins—and not all the other teams,” Davis told Washingtonian in October.
They seem like a fun bunch.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
The Trucker Convoy Has Given Up on DC Yet Again. We Tried One Last Time to Find Out What They Wanted.
2022 Tech Titans
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People
The Untold Story of the White House’s Weirdly Hip Record Collection
7 Things to Know About Karine Jean-Pierre, the New White House Press Secretary
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2022: Fantastic Foodie Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
A Johnny Cash Statue Is Coming to the Capitol
LGBTQ Pioneer Barney Frank’s Story Is Now a Graphic Novel
Inside the Effort to Revamp the DC Archives
This DC Poet Was Once the USSR’s Biggest Kid Actor
More from News & Politics
The Trucker Convoy Has Given Up on DC Yet Again. We Tried One Last Time to Find Out What They Wanted.
Number of Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs Hits Record Low
The Lincoln Memorial Is 100 Years Old. Here’s How to Celebrate It.
The Hill’s Newsroom Petitions to Unionize
2022 Tech Titans
A Johnny Cash Statue Is Coming to the Capitol
7 Things to Know About Karine Jean-Pierre, the New White House Press Secretary
PHOTOS: Weekend Pro-Choice Rally and March in DC