Dan Snyder Sends C&D Letter To Former Redskins Player For Using A Picture Of Himself

from the fumble dept

Wed, May 14th 2014 12:23pm — Timothy Geigner

We've spent some time here at Techdirt trying to warn you about Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins NFL team and likely replicant. Between his battling to keep a racist team name, attempts to murder satire in the press, using intellectual property law to disappear his team's name from the blogosphere, and generally acting like an entitled brat, you may have thought that he and his band of merry lawyers couldn't sink much lower.

Will writes in to correct anyone suffering under this mistaken belief with a story about Dan Snyder's lawyers going after one of the team's best former players for the crime of using a picture of himself.

Dan Snyder is just the worst, and his worstness reared its head once more yesterday when he sent a cease and desist letter to former Redskins great LaVar Arrington, demanding that Arrington stop calling himself a Redskins great. Word of the cease and desist first came from Arrington himself, who went on a bit of a Twitter rant yesterday.

While the reporting of the details here is all coming from Arrington's side, the issue appears to be slightly different than reported above. While there may have been a request to stop using the Redskin name in Arrington's flyer for his football camp, the chief issue appears to surround a picture of Arrington that was also on the flyer, which itself seems to have been taken at an NFL game in which Arrington is wearing his former Redskins uniform.

Arguing over that nuance is a bit beside the point, however, because the point is: what the hell is the matter with these people? Have we really entered an era in which using a picture of oneself and describing yourself as having played for a team, which is a factual statement, are now actionable items? And even if they are, what the hell is the team getting out of pissing off a former player who is well-loved by their own fanbase?

That said, since Snyder's folks haven't really demonstrated much of an understanding of the Streisand Effect in the past, it's no surprise to see that Arrington is using the threat as a promotional tool.

@LaVarArrington:

Hey @Redskins instead of being so petty about things you should've had your entire defense sign up for the camp #truth

Here we go, Redskins, here we go (again). Clap, clap.

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Filed Under: dan snyder, lavar arrington, photographs, publicity rights, redskins

26 Comments

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Michael, 14 May 2014 @ 12:34pm

See? It really is an addiction.

- Health And Human Services
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 14 May 2014 @ 12:39pm

Here we go, Redskins, here we go (again). Clap, clap.
That's a baseball cheer. More like:

Scalp 'em, swamp 'um

We will take 'um big score

Read 'um, Weep 'um, touchdown

We want heap more
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Anonymous Coward, 14 May 2014 @ 12:50pm

Donald Sterling, meet Dan Snyder
Perhaps the two of you could share a delicious lunch of racism and bigotry.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 May 2014 @ 1:24pm

Between his battling to keep a racist team name

I am 1/16 Cherokee, but pastey ass white.

Fuck the Dawes Roll and I am sick of this racist crap!

Redskins is no more racist than the term black hole! People pissing and moaning left and right about feeling insulted or offended DESERVE IT!
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Josh (profile), 14 May 2014 @ 2:05pm

current job
Well, it's stated "hosted by Redskins Great" implying he's an active player. It should say hosted by a Great Former Reskin.
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MunkiLord (profile), 14 May 2014 @ 3:12pm

I object to calling Arrington great. He was really good.
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Anonymous, 14 May 2014 @ 4:45pm

Re: Donald Sterling, meet Dan Snyder
Yeah, after all, it's not like you have the right to exercise FREEDOM OF SPEECH or something...
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Michael, 14 May 2014 @ 4:58pm

Re: current job
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Michael, 14 May 2014 @ 5:00pm

Re: current job
"Redskins Great" clearly implies former...
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Sheogorath (profile), 14 May 2014 @ 5:45pm

Re:
Redskins is no more racist than the term black hole!
Thank you. It's good to hear that from somebody with Native American blood.
FYI, everybody else: The word Redskins, whether or not in direct conjunction with the word Washington, nowadays refers to an American football team, not to any of the various Native American tribes, the people within them, or their descendants.
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Another anonymous coward, 14 May 2014 @ 6:57pm

Re:
As a member of the Potawatomi tribe, I am more than happy to allow Dan Snyder to continue to use the name the 'Redskins' as long as he signs a release allowing me to name a sports team the 'Obnoxious Jewboys.'

Deal, Dan?
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Red Green, 14 May 2014 @ 9:51pm

Redskins Not Trademarkable
Note that the Redskins name (and probably the logo?) were ruled not "trademarkable" as it is racist. C&D does not apply.
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alternatives(), 15 May 2014 @ 4:13am

Seems to need a satire movement
How about anyone who's badly sunburned gets tagged "redskins great" in photos?
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Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2014 @ 5:11am

Re: Re: Donald Sterling, meet Dan Snyder
Freedom of speech does not and never has included anything about freedom from the consequences of said speech.

So yeah, say whatever you like. But do not start crying when others react, because guess what - they have a right to free speech too.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2014 @ 5:15am

Re:
Even if I believe your claim to be 1/16th Cherokee, how does that have anything to do with whether Snyder is a racist?
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art guerrilla (profile), 15 May 2014 @ 6:41am

Re: Re: Re: Donald Sterling, meet Dan Snyder
say kamper, IF someone (a 'friend'?) ILLEGALLY recorded YOUR worst moments when you were upset about something/someone, and played those back for all the world to hear, what would you think about that ? ? ?

(you won't think about that, you're having too much fun feeling all self-righteous and going off on ANYONE ELSE, but yourself, friends or family... WE ALL have bigots in our family, but you won't drum them out of society, will you ? ? ? but some rich puke you never met will be pilloried so YOU can feel good about yourself...)

really sick of this pin-the-tail-on-the-bigot bullshit; EVERYONE is getting off on pointing fingers at SOMEONE else, but -you know what?- i bet YOU (YES ALL OF YOU) have SOME views, some retarded opinions, SOME stupid shit YOU BELIEVE (or want to believe), that if exposed to the world (ILLEGALLY) you would look like a fucking idiot/bigot/dick...

again, this hysteria is feeding into authoritarian impulses to oversee, control and eliminate ALL behaviors EMPIRE does not want, NOT WHAT YOU FUCKING IDIOTS DO/DON'T WANT, that is NOT how this works... YOU ARE DOING THE HEAVY LIFTING OF EMPIRE when you excoriate people for their BELIEFS...
(NOT their illegal actions, their BELIEFS...)

YOU ARE MAKING UP THOUGHT KRIMES and Empire thanks you very much... idiots...

don't really give a shit about sterling, snyder or ANY OTHER BIGOT you uber-PC tards care to put in the stocks and hurl YOUR HATRED at them... ('cause that is -you know- 'good', 'righteous' hatred... *snort*)
IF they do illegal shit, then nail them to the cross; otherwise, curl your lip in a sneer, but stop the witch hunts so you can feel superior...
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Pragmatic, 15 May 2014 @ 8:17am

Re: Re: Re: Donald Sterling, meet Dan Snyder
@ AC @ 5:11am, damn straight. This is what freedom actually is: do what you like, but consequences will ensue for better or for worse.
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Just Another Anonymous Troll, 15 May 2014 @ 8:19am

Re: Re:
He's trying to point out that most people who are offended are not even in the "line of fire" of this apparently racist name. If anything, it pays homage to them.
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John Fenderson (profile), 15 May 2014 @ 8:25am

Re: Re: Re:
"it pays homage to them"

I have no real opinion on the Redskins issue either way, but this is just laughable.
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MatBastardson (profile), 15 May 2014 @ 12:27pm

Re: Re:
No, that's no good. Washington is a place; obnoxious is a character trait. If his team was called the Bloodthirsty Redskins, you could have the Obnoxious Jewboys. Since he's got the Washington Redskins, you would have to have, say, the New York Jewboys. Only thing is, thousands of New York Jews would proudly buy and wear a cap or jersey from this team, which would sort of defeat your purpose.
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Anonymous, 15 May 2014 @ 3:21pm

Re: Re: Re: Donald Sterling, meet Dan Snyder
Because right there in the first amendment it says, "but there shall be consequences..." Oh, wait. It doesn't.
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John Fenderson (profile), 15 May 2014 @ 3:47pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Donald Sterling, meet Dan Snyder
The first amendment says that the government cannot stop you from speaking. It does not say that people hearing your speech must or must not react in certain ways. For that matter, it doesn't even say that non-governmental entities are required to allow you to speak in the first place.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2014 @ 4:48pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Donald Sterling, meet Dan Snyder
Ummm - ok.

Nice rant but it doesn't address anything I typed. It assumes a lot and makes baseless accusations - meh.

Point remains the same, supposedly everyone has the right to free speech and just because someone has more money than others does not mean they get more speech while everyone else has to STFU.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2014 @ 4:51pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Donald Sterling, meet Dan Snyder
Does it say anywhere in the bill of rights or constitution that you have the right to take a dump?

Oh Noes! ... what will you do.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2014 @ 4:56pm

Re: Re: Re:
Considering history, I would think they deserve a bit more than homage.
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art guerrilla (profile), 15 May 2014 @ 6:26pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Donald Sterling, meet Dan Snyder
actually, i was replying not just to your short but obvious posts and what is inferred in your statements, but also -it seemed obvious to me- commenting on the whole media pandering to this self-righteous bull, and the vast majority of nekkid apes who think their shit don't stink...
besides, i guess we're even, since you didn't address any of my points even more pointedly...
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