Dan Snyder wasn't the first unsavory person to own Washington Redskins (now Commanders)

We all know about the unsavory tenure and mismanagement of the Snyder cut years of Washington's team. A life long fan, he has made some life long enemies and like an vile onion, seemingly every layer hides another layer of contemptable behavior.

However, let me introduce to George Preston Marshall. He is the OG owner of the Redskins (started as the Boston Braves, soon changed names and then cities to Washington). He is in the NFL Hall of Fame and helped standardize the NFL's scheduling and then championship structure along with how the money from games was dispersed.

He was also considered to be the driving force of removing black players from the NFL. Even after the success of player such as Fritz Pollard and Duke Slater, the NFL instituted an unofficial ban on signing black players from 1933 to 1946 when the LA Rams signed Kenny Washington and Woody Strode (the Browns in the AAFC signing Marion Motley and Bill Wills shortly after). It is noted that when Washington played against the Redskins, their players piled on him after players, taking shots at him and attempting to rub chalk into his eyes.

So, it is 1946 and no other teams sign a black player until 1948, when the Lions and later the Giants(NFL great Emlen Tunnell, first black HOFer and 2nd all time INTs). One by one, all the other NFL teams integrate.

And then their are the Redskins. Marshall is quotes as saying, "We'll starting signing negroes when the Harlem Globetrotters start signing whites." Apparently the irony that the Globetrotters existed was because the NBA didn't allow/sign any black players was lost on Marshall.

In 1962, under pressure from JFK that they would revoke the Redskins lease to their stadium (it was funded by public tax dollars), Washington is forced to integrate. They select Ernie Davis from Syracuse (the movie The Express was made after him). Marshall trades Davis after refusing to meet the popular Heisman's winners contract demands. Davis is swapped for Bobby Mitchell (future HOFer) and the Redskins finally integrate.

Between reintegration in the NFL 1946 until his death in 1969, the Redskins had three winning seasons. Marshall left a large sum of money to start a foundation in the interest of children in the DC area. In true Marshall fashion, he stipulated that none of the money should spent "for any purpose which supports or employs the principle of racial integration."

Marshall is still in the HOF, but he has since been removed from the Redskins Ring of Honor.