Chris Cooley is one of ten former Washington football players added to the franchise’s “90 Greatest List.” The players will be honored during a ceremony Sunday ahead of the Washington Commanders’ game against the Green Bay Packers.
Cooley expressed he was “very appreciative” of being voted in during the Kevin Sheehan Show podcast. However, the former Washington tight end has no interest in attending Sunday’s ceremony.
“At this point, I don’t have a lot of desire to be involved with the Washington Commanders,” Cooley said, per Michael Phillips of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Cooley played all nine seasons of his career with the Washington franchise. He completed his career with the most receptions (429) by a tight end in franchise history. He is currently second among tight ends in Commanders’ history with 4,711 yards and 33 receiving touchdowns behind Jerry Smith.
Chris Cooley has seemingly grown frustrated with the direction of the team. The Commanders owner Dan Snyder has been under a microscope, as he is the subject of several investigations. The NFL is looking into sexual harassment claims and workplace misconduct by Snyder. It’s the second probe by the league since July 2020.
Additionally, the U.S. House Oversight Committee is conducting an ongoing investigation on Snyder for the same issues. The D.C. Attorney General reportedly plans to take action against Snyder for several issues, including alleged financial improprieties.
The initial NFL investigation got sparked by allegations from more than 40 former Commanders’ employees against Snyder and the organization for toxic workplace culture.
There has also been a multitude of negative headlines that have marked the franchise. Attendance has drastically dropped through the years under Snyder’s ownership. A once proud franchise has become embattled since Snyder became owner in 1999.
The other NFL team owners have become tiresome of Snyder. The latest string of allegations prompted Indianapolis Colts owner Jm Irsay to say he believes “there is merit” to removing Snyder from ownership of the Commanders.
