(AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez, FILE)
Redskins assistant comes to Dan Snyder's defense
By JOSEPH WHITE,
AP Sports Writer
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache broke his media silence Thursday to defend the man who pays his salary, saying "Enough's enough" when it comes to criticism of owner Dan Snyder.
Blache said he was moved to speak after reading comments made by Hall of Fame running back John Riggins, who called Snyder a "bad guy" whose "heart is dark" in an interview for Showtime's "Inside the NFL."
"That's totally, totally untrue," Blache said. "And the problem is the fans don't get to know Mr. Snyder like we do, and so they get an impression of things that are written and things people say."
Blache said his family has been helped by Snyder, and that the owner has supported Blache's involvement in hospice. Blache then called Snyder "one of the most generous, kind individuals you could ever meet."
Snyder has been a popular target for criticism from fans, ex-players and pundits for the state of the Redskins, who are 2-5 and have won only two playoff games in his 10 years of ownership. Snyder broke his own media silence earlier this week to apologize to the fans on behalf of the organization.
"We've had criticism from other people outside the building saying what Dan Snyder is and what he isn't ... they don't know Dan Snyder," Blache said. "And that's the problem. Do I agree with everything Dan Snyder does? No. Just trust me, because he and I, we work together, and I'm not gonna tell you that this is a utopia. But there's no utopias in football. There's no utopias in life. But at the same time, enough's enough."
Blache, who stopped speaking to the media four weeks ago for unspecified reasons, walked away after his statement and did not take questions.
After practice, coach Jim Zorn supported Blache's position, saying: "I would concur that Dan Snyder is a guy that absolutely cares about other people."
"Some of the words that are said are just so harsh," Zorn said. "All the time. It just seems like everybody's down, and part of that is on me. We're losing, and that creates issues. And I think that's more of the problem than anything, is losing, and I want to help change that."
Updated November 5, 2009
