Redskins' Snyder apologizes to fans

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By Ryan O'Halloran

Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder chose a charity event in Prince George's County on Tuesday to break his rule against speaking publicly during the season.

After a ceremony at Surrattsville High School to announce a program to improve and maintain athletic fields, Snyder said he is "disappointed" with the 2-5 start but did not address the futures of front office chief Vinny Cerrato or coach Jim Zorn and the team's recent decision to ban fans from bringing signs to FedEx Field.

"I think number one, I feel bad for the fans," Snyder said in comments team employees reprinted on the Redskins' official Web site. "I feel sorry for the fans. And we're very, very appreciative of our great, loyal fan base. And I'm understanding. I mean, we just feel terrible. We're disappointed, and we're embarrassed. And we hope to get it going soon."

Snyder, who apparently received nothing but cheers from the students and faculty when he was introduced, told the gathering that he's optimistic the Redskins can turn their season around starting Sunday at Atlanta.

"We are really trying very, very hard," he said. "Everyone at Redskins Park, the coaches, the players, the organization's really quite frankly held up well. And I think we have an opportunity the rest of the season to hopefully get it going. But to date we've let everyone down, including ourselves. We know that. We're just apologetic. We've blown some games that obviously we should have won.

"The next step is Sunday. It's really that simple. We hope we can put together a good performance down in Atlanta and start a winning streak."

After speaking to the crowd, Snyder talked to a small group of reporters in the parking lot, according to the Associated Press. He was asked about two recent controversies surrounding the team - lawsuits against fans who couldn't pay for their premium tickets and a total ban on fans carrying signs and banners into the stadium - but addressed neither issue.

The Redskins said they banned the signs at the start of the season, though it was announced only recently, coinciding with an increase of negative ones targeting Snyder and Cerrato. Asked how he is affected personally, Snyder said, "It hurts," the AP reported.

The questions got more pointed as the interview progressed. After 2 1/2 minutes, in the middle of a question about stripping Zorn of his playcalling duties, the Surrattsville marching band approached, playing at full volume. Snyder stopped the question and made small talk about the fact that Tuesday was Election Day while waiting for the band to pass.

Just as the music was quieting down, Snyder said he had to depart. He walked away, leaving the question unanswered.