Blache speaks 'from the heart' in Snyder's defense
source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/blache-speaks-from-the-heart-i.html
Prompted by John Riggins' most recent criticism of Redskins ownership, defensive coordinator Greg Blache broke his month-long media silence today to defend Daniel M. Snyder. The organization is making no official comment about Riggins' harsh words Wednesday night on Showtime's "Inside the NFL," but Blache spoke for nearly four minutes to reporters today. He did not take any questions. In defense of the team owner, he said:
"This morning when I came in, and I turned my computer on and I was looking at Pro Football Talk, and I saw comments that John Riggins made about Mr. Snyder. And it really bothered me, the more I sat there at my desk. There's been a lot of criticism of him over the last few weeks. And this is a man I've known for six years, since I've been here. And in the six years, I've never seen John Riggins here. I met him once at Beach Blitz down in Virginia Beach. Never seen him in the building.
"To hear such a vicious criticism of somebody I consider not just my employer, but a good friend, bothered me. And as much as I hadn't been talking to you, I felt like this is something I needed to do. Somebody needed to stand up and set this record straight. This person, the comment that was made, a 'dark heart,' that's totally, totally untrue. The problem is the fans don't get to know Mr. Snyder like we do, so they get an impression of things that are written and things people say. I'll tell you something from a person who's been here for six years who's gone to him for things that I've needed in my family, there's times that he's come to me when he's heard about issues in my family, and offered his assistance. It's unsurpassed. He's one of the most generous, kind individuals you'll ever meet. My wife and I are involved in hospice, and there's been countless times he's come and helped us with issues with hospice. So to see that and get the feeling that that's what everybody on the outside gets to hear about this person, I just felt like it was time for somebody to stand up and set the record straight. I decided that I was going to do it, I was going to do it today because it's enough. I mean, it really is. We've had criticism from other people outside the building, saying what Dan Snyder is and what he isn't. You don't know Dan Snyder, and that's the problem."Do I agree with everything that Dan Snyder does? No, trust me. Because he and I, we work together. And I'm not going to tell you that this is a utopia. There's no utopias in football, there's no utopias in life. At the same time, enough's enough. Every story, there's one person's side, there's another person's side and behind it all, there's a third side and it's the truth. I just thought it was time for somebody to come and just throw a little truth out there. We keep hearing these other sides, these other factions, and to be quite candid, the third side - the truth - this person, all he wants to do is win. That's all he wants to do. He'll spend his money, he'll spend his time. He wants to win. He's here for the people, for the fans, for the Washington Redskins. There's nobody who's pained more when we're not successful than Dan Snyder. There's nobody that cares more about the fans than Dan Snyder, there's nobody who wants to win here more than Dan Snyder.
"I just think it's time to be put out there, it's time that you guys understand that everything that's wrong with this organization is not Dan Snyder. It's so easy for the people who held... a microphone every day to point fingers and shuffle it off somewhere else. But at the same time, I'm in a ton of those meetings when decisions are made. And so a lot of the things that wrong, you can't go back and somehow it was so-and-so's fault because that's how those comments were made. So just to set the record straight, I think it was wrong. I wish the best for Mr. Riggins and all his endeavors or whatever he does. But for me, that was enough. And I just felt like for me to wash my face in the morning and to feel like a man or to talk to my kids about doing the right thing, I needed to come here and make that comment today.
"I've got no other interest in it. I have a contract for next year, so it's not like I'm trying to make something up. If they send me home, the way coaches' contracts are written, they have to pay me anyway. So quite honestly, this is unsolicited. But from the heart, just something I just felt I needed to do. Thank you."
By Rick Maese | November 5, 2009; 1:15 PM ET
source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/blache-speaks-from-the-heart-i.html
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