Former Commanders QB Alex Smith Blasts Dan Snyder’s Ownership Amid Reports Of Potential Sale

Former Washington Commanders quarterback Alex Smith ridiculed Commanders owner Dan Snyder Monday morning amid the potential sale of the organization.

Smith was a member of the Commanders for three seasons, but he only played in two of those seasons. In the 2018 season, Smith suffered a compound fracture of his right leg that caused him to miss the 2019 season.

Smith underwent 17 surgeries on his leg and did rehab to return for eight games in the 2020 season, ultimately his final season in the NFL.

Snyder released a statement that explained he would explore the option to sell the Commanders.

On the ESPN Daily podcast hosted by Pablo Torre, Smith said he appreciated his time with the Commanders and believed the fans had a big heart.

“There’s a lot there, obviously, and I grapple with a lot of it,” Smith said. “Obviously, as a former player, and there’s certainly a bunch of my good friends in that locker room, and I think having been there for three years and lived in D.C., and worn the uniform. And it’s a fanbase and a history that is second to none when it comes to loyalty and history, and I mean that in such a positive way.”

Smith pivoted and called out the ownership for how poorly Snyder handled the organization over the last decade.

“To see what’s gone on certainly the last 10-15 years though has really tarnished that legacy of the team,” Smith added. “And as a player, when you’re there, as players, we talk often talk about eliminating distractions, right? There’s a lot of noise around NFL teams, every NFL team, right? The media, the coverage, the week-to-week, the ups, and downs. There’s just a lot of distractions out there.”

Smith elaborated that sometimes players can become a distraction in the locker room, but there’s not much a player could do if it came from the owner.

“I’ve never seen a place where the distractions come from the other side of the building,” Smith continued. “For everybody out there, these are big facilities, and half the building is kinda dedicated to football. It’s weight rooms and locker rooms, and practice fields, and all that kind of stuff. The other half of it is the entire business entity of the organization. You rarely interact with each other.”

Smith described the distraction Commanders players go through to play there.

“When you get to Washington, it’s just not that,” Smith said. “It’s the total opposite. It just seems like a never-ending stream of questions you get asked from the media about stuff that’s coming out of the other side of the building.”

Smith understands the disconnect between the fan base and Snyder, affecting the crowd at Commanders’ home games.

“This never-ending distraction. It’s hard to with the fan base because they are a fan base that want to support you as a player, but they also have a hard time with the owner, and have had a hard time with the owner and have had a hard time with the owner and ownership,” Smith continued. “So there’s this split dilemma; they don’t want to come support you at FedEx Field. It’s probably the worst gameday experience in the country.”

Listen above via the ESPN Daily podcast.

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