Chris Cooley Feels For Commanders' Fans, Is Skipping Washington Ceremony Honoring Him

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The Washington Commanders will honor 10 all-time franchise greats, voted by fans, during Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. Former tight end Chris Cooley is one of those 10 players, but he won't be attending.

Cooley, who played his entire nine-year career in Washington, is skipping the ceremony simply because he doesn't want to go. It's such a simple excuse, you almost have to respect it.

“I don’t want to ,” he said on 'The Kevin Sheehan Show'. “I’m very appreciative of being voted in, and I’m very appreciative of my time while I was there. At this point, I don’t have a lot of desire to be involved with the Washington Commanders. It’s not the team name that does it.”

Cooley made it clear that he has nothing but love for Washington fans, but he doesn't want to be associated with the franchise right now. He went as far as to admit rooting against his former team at times.

“I feel for all of the fans for where they are at, and I still appreciate the people that are still fans, that are still diehards,” Cooley said. “Because you know very well, as much as me, even at times maybe you even find yourself cheering against ..."My only interest is still Washington."

Dan Snyder Blasts Oversight Committee For Investigation Of Commanders

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images)

Chris Cooley Played 117 Games For Washington

Cooley's decision to distance himself from the Washington franchise comes with team owner Dan Snyder in the news for all the wrong reasons yet again.

Just last week, a report came out saying Snyder has said that he has so much "dirt" on other NFL owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to "blow up" the league. He reportedly even told a source "they can't fu-k with me."

Plus, over 40 women have accused Snyder and team executives of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. A total of 15 women claimed harassment took place over the course of 18 years in 2020.

Snyder recently called out the House Oversight Committee over an investigation it launched in October 2021 involving workplace misconduct and sexual harassment allegations.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.