60 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 1 2008
N F L OWN E R S
by having the kind of tan that comes with
mooring your yacht inBimini— is the type
of guy who demonstrates his respect for
footballhistorybydoingsuch thingsasbuy-
ingaBaltimoreColtshelmetwornbyJohn-
nyUnitas for $54,050, not tomention that
Hall of Famer’s first contract for $29,900.
Tonight, he again shows his respect by in-
viting predecessor Art Modell to dinner at
a PalmBeach steak house. Modell, an old-
guardmember of the league, bypassed the
traffic on I-95byflyinghisGulfstreamGIV
jet from Vero Beach— a flight that might
have lasted 14minutes.
But nobody seems to enjoy being rich
more than the cigar-smoking, sunglasses-
wearing Snyder, who was merely 34 years
oldwhenhe bought theRedskins franchise
for $800 million in 1999. He has fired
most of his coaches, brought JoeGibbs out
of retirement, overspent badly on former
star players, andmade the postseason only
three times. “There are a bunch of things
I wish I would have done differently,” Sny-
der says. “I’vemade plenty ofmistakes, but
I’ve learned from my mistakes as a good
entrepreneur, a good CEO, would do. I’ve
matured. Iwasn’t patient enough in certain
areasearlyon. Ididn’tunderstand thegame
the way I do now. I didn’t understand the
agents, the contractual relationship with
the salary cap, the importance of the age of
players.Now, it’s easy forme.”
Billions, of course, won’t necessarily buy
NFL serenity, as is evidenced by some acri-
monyamong theowners.The small-market
owners feel they cannot compete fairlywith
big-money teams like the Redskins, the
Cowboys, and the Patriots, whose start-
ing quarterbacks are more profitable than
whole teams inBuffaloandMinnesota.
But right here, in an offseason retreat at
the Breakers, everything and everyone is
simply fabulous.
“I’m sure there is some antipathy,” Phila-
delphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie says.
“But we conceal it pretty well most of the
time.” Even though egos are competing to
make themostmoney andwin the big tro-
phy, Lurie insists that he likes almost every
other team owner in theNFCEast, the di-
vision his team shares with Dallas, Wash-
ington, and the New York Giants. Even
Snyder?Lurie smiles. “Well,”he says, “I said
‘almost,’ didn’t I?”
Iate toomuch.Tomandhiswifeweregreat
hosts. They’vegot a real niceboat.”
It was apparently much nicer than the
Cajun pirogue Beth Payton gave her hus-
band forChristmas in2006.
“Muchbigger,” he says.
RAVENSOWNER STEVEBISCIOTTI
—whose youthful appearance is bolstered
Gayle Marie
, is docked nearby, had mem-
bers of the team’s staff gather for a dinner
cruise. And yes, Benson had NewOrleans
seafoodflown in for theoccasion.
“Everyone felt athomeeating crawfish; it
was real nice,” says Saints coach Sean Pay-
ton. “These were nicely peeled, neatly on a
tray,with shrimpandclams, all theappetiz-
ers andhot dishes. Therewas plenty to eat.
EdWERdER
is awriter and anESPN reporter based inTexas.
3500Maple Avenue
Ê
Suite 900
Ê
Dallas, Texas 75219
Phone: 214.752.8600
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Facsimile: 214.752.8700
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