Fred Smith, a towering figure in American business, has died. He was 80.
While in most contexts he will be remembered first and foremost as the founder of FedEx, Smith had a significant impact on the NFL.
He was the father of former Falcons coach and current Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Fred Smith also was a long-time minority owner of the Washington Commanders, and FedEx for many years held the naming rights to the stadium where the team plays.
Beyond his company expressly requesting that the team abandon its former nickname in July 2020, Smith’s efforts to extricate himself from the team placed significant pressure on former principal owner Daniel Snyder. Along with Robert Rothman and Dwight Schar, Smith worked to find a way out of their partnership with Snyder, culminating in Snyder buying their stakes in the franchise in early 2021.
The unrest sparked by Smith and the other minority partners contributed to the focus on the business activities of the franchise as led by Snyder. There is an unmistakable link between the Smith/Rothman/Schar situation and the ultimate ouster of Snyder in 2023.
Smith first acquired his interest in the team in 2003. He had attempted to secure an expansion franchise in Memphis in the 1990s, when the Panthers and Jaguars joined the NFL. With Elvis Presley’s estate involved in the bid, the team would have been known as the Memphis Hound Dogs.
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