After 20 years away, Champ Bailey is thrilled to be back in Washington
September 9, 2023
After 20 years away, Champ Bailey is thrilled to be back in Washington
2 comments
“But I want people to understand, from my point of view, I never wanted to leave. Like, that was not my intentions. I valued this franchise,” Bailey added. “And when I got to Denver, **it was very evident that Washington was more established [and] had more history than Denver could ever dream of**. But Denver took me took me in and treated me like their own, and I’m grateful for that. It was a blessing in disguise that I got sent there. But it wasn’t like I made it happen that way. I was too young to even know what was going on. I was just a great football player trying to do great things and make the money I deserve. That’s it.”
Bailey said he never had a relationship with Snyder. In 2019, before he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, **Bailey said he got a phone call, and the person on the other end said, “Hold for Daniel Snyder.”** Bailey said he had a short, impersonal conversation with the owner.
“Even before I got traded, I’d never talk to him about anything of substance other than my contract when he was trying to get me to take lowball deals,” he said. “I don’t expect him to like me or cater to me. It’s just, you know, we’re men, and we’re in a profession where there’s levels of success, and I think I was one of the most successful people he had with him. He just never valued it, and it showed by his actions.
“I’m grown now. I’m past it.”
**“I never had hard feelings about the organization,**” Bailey said. “It was just more about how everything was handled, and I think everybody knows why it was handled that way.
“But as we move forward, I would love to be a part of the organization. They’ve been patient. They’ve offered several ways to come back. The timing just never felt right. Now, with new ownership it just feels like things are being revived here, a little rejuvenated. I just want to be a part of that. And I think the timing is good.”
When asked why he didn’t want to leave Washington and what made it so important to him, Bailey cited the city’s rich strong ties to the Black community, as well as the team’s history as a member of the vaunted NFC East.
“**Look, I appreciated the rich Black culture here. You forget how many of my people are here until you’re in it. Like, everywhere I go, I see my people — and I always loved and appreciated that about this city. And the franchise, again, has so much history. And you look at the NFC East and how popular these teams are. And I don’t know, I just wanted to be a part of what Darrell Green started and to kind of continue that legacy. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to do that here.”**
“I honestly don’t know who I’m going to see,” Bailey said. “That’s the beauty of it. There’s a lot of people to remember and a lot of connections I made back in the day — and, you know, I’m just trying to rekindle a lot of those connections.”
He hopes the reunion — with a place he never wanted to leave in the first place — will be a beautiful new beginning.
**“This takes me to the death, right?” he said. “Like, this relationship isn’t broken ’til the day I die. That’s how I want it to be.”**
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(Bolding was mine for quotes that I really thought stood out)
Bullshit. He wanted out and anyone alive and following the team then knows what’s up. You can say it was a bad trade or whatever but Champ wanted out. Period.
2 comments
“But I want people to understand, from my point of view, I never wanted to leave. Like, that was not my intentions. I valued this franchise,” Bailey added. “And when I got to Denver, **it was very evident that Washington was more established [and] had more history than Denver could ever dream of**. But Denver took me took me in and treated me like their own, and I’m grateful for that. It was a blessing in disguise that I got sent there. But it wasn’t like I made it happen that way. I was too young to even know what was going on. I was just a great football player trying to do great things and make the money I deserve. That’s it.”
Bailey said he never had a relationship with Snyder. In 2019, before he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, **Bailey said he got a phone call, and the person on the other end said, “Hold for Daniel Snyder.”** Bailey said he had a short, impersonal conversation with the owner.
“Even before I got traded, I’d never talk to him about anything of substance other than my contract when he was trying to get me to take lowball deals,” he said. “I don’t expect him to like me or cater to me. It’s just, you know, we’re men, and we’re in a profession where there’s levels of success, and I think I was one of the most successful people he had with him. He just never valued it, and it showed by his actions.
“I’m grown now. I’m past it.”
**“I never had hard feelings about the organization,**” Bailey said. “It was just more about how everything was handled, and I think everybody knows why it was handled that way.
“But as we move forward, I would love to be a part of the organization. They’ve been patient. They’ve offered several ways to come back. The timing just never felt right. Now, with new ownership it just feels like things are being revived here, a little rejuvenated. I just want to be a part of that. And I think the timing is good.”
When asked why he didn’t want to leave Washington and what made it so important to him, Bailey cited the city’s rich strong ties to the Black community, as well as the team’s history as a member of the vaunted NFC East.
“**Look, I appreciated the rich Black culture here. You forget how many of my people are here until you’re in it. Like, everywhere I go, I see my people — and I always loved and appreciated that about this city. And the franchise, again, has so much history. And you look at the NFC East and how popular these teams are. And I don’t know, I just wanted to be a part of what Darrell Green started and to kind of continue that legacy. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to do that here.”**
“I honestly don’t know who I’m going to see,” Bailey said. “That’s the beauty of it. There’s a lot of people to remember and a lot of connections I made back in the day — and, you know, I’m just trying to rekindle a lot of those connections.”
He hopes the reunion — with a place he never wanted to leave in the first place — will be a beautiful new beginning.
**“This takes me to the death, right?” he said. “Like, this relationship isn’t broken ’til the day I die. That’s how I want it to be.”**
​
​
(Bolding was mine for quotes that I really thought stood out)
Bullshit. He wanted out and anyone alive and following the team then knows what’s up. You can say it was a bad trade or whatever but Champ wanted out. Period.