The Art Mills File
Art Mills is the star writer on the Redskins website. He writes columns for the news page of Redskins.com, part of Dan Snyder's Redskins Unfiltered project that seeks to bypass the traditional news outlets. He's also a moderator at extremeskins.com, the team-owned message board.
For years, he's used both roles to attack any member of the mainstream media who didn't write that the ownership and coaching and personnel and grounds crew and stadium and parking attendants and catering service were the best in the NFL.
Mills' attacks were highlighted by the Nunyo Files, a thread that went after Nunyo Demasio, the former Skins beat reporter for the Washington Post, for every dangling participle and any other alleged imperfection in his copy.
Karma got in touch with Mills last week.
Turns out Unfiltered is also Unedited. Mills wrote an official appreciation of Sean Taylor for Redskins.com, and also posted the piece on extremeskins.com, telling his followers that it was "the hardest thing I've ever had to write."
The lede of Mills' column:
"We didn't know Sean Taylor.
On 4th-and-four against Dallas, as he jarred the ball free from Patrick Crayton, we thanked him."
Within minutes of Mills' posting of his own heartfelt story, a poster named Califan showed the same silliness and pettiness Mills showed in his attacks against Demasio.
"Btw, it was 3rd-and-4 against Dallas, not 4th-and-4," Califan typed.
Let the healing begin...
1:54 pm
I want the 15 seconds back that it took me to read this. It is truly an awful post.
3:33 pm
Many nits were picked on all sides, but are we any better off?
12:00 am
Here is the greatest irony Dave. Every single time you write about Arthur Mills (and you've done so repeatedly in the past few years), all you do is perpetuate the problem.
Having known Art since 1999 (The Redskins TSN board)... and bringing him aboard as an ExtremeSkins moderator following it's inception... Art is exactly what people have created him. He craves attention, drama, confrontation and celebrity.
I don't begrudge Art for what he is... how can I? He isn't even responsible for it. People give in willingly.
I remember when Art was nothing more than an anonymous moderator on a private, self-made website.
But the story was never the Redskins, the fans, the community, the people who sacrificed and labored for something they believed in, for the greater good - a feel good story.
Nope, the story has always been about Art Mills.
Bravo Dave.
10:09 am
Gee, that wasn't even slightly a snotty agenda-driven piece, was it?
It is probably a waste of time to even wonder why you are concerned with Nunyo's panties being in a bunch enough to fire this shot on his behalf. This type of sniping smacks of the comments made in the third grade lunchroom.
12:24 pm
This is the same Nunyo that was fired by ESPN right?
12:29 pm
Gadget:
Sorry about those lost 15 seconds. You're right. You can't get them back. But, listen, I've talked to my people, and I'm trying to get you a refund on the 10 good minutes you threw after those wasted seconds to write your post. i'll get back to you! thanks for playing the Feud!
And, Mr. Hard: I agree, the story has always been about Art Mills, and if being fascinated with that story is a crime, well, waterboard me!
i mean, here's a guy who after getting one byline in the Washington Post a while back ended up spending years of his life (27,000-plus posts! do the math!)bashing newspaper people on a message board while exchanging smiley faces with the same group of grown men.
Freud and Dr. Phil could have a field day with this dude!
1:24 pm
For the record, Arts worst piece of journalism is typically head and shoulders above most the crap written by the post. Stone Art for being passionate about the Redskins. Shouldn't a beat writer for the team be the same way? I mean, it seems like everything written about the Redskins in a city that's supposed to support them is negative. As a Redskins fan, it's nice to read something that isn't laced with venom for the ownership or praising the Cowboys. There's around 60,000 members at ES and the majority like what Art writes. That's probably about 59,000 more readers than the WP articles get.
1:19 am
Art is a lousy person and worse writer, going for emotion he does not truly have. His treatment of fans on his site and banning tactics are Hitleresque and mentally twisted. The guy is a sick puppy chasing fans from the skins by droves, and costing them good people. His pride and control issues are out of control, and if Snyder has any sense at all he will waterboard Art himself. His focus is himself, his mind is warped, and his people skills do not exist. I have never seen anyone control a team board with such a sick and personal agenda.
It isn't extremeskins.com, it is extremelysickart manifesto.com. Ask any of the thousands of fans he has banned while claiming he has banned noone, 'they only ban themselves' is his whack nut ideaology and sick invention. He is costing Snyder millions in fan revenues due to his sick control and ego issues. Most people who frequent the site won't even buy skins memorabilia anymore due to him. Myself being one of them. When Dan ends his sick rule, I will think about handing him money again. But definitely not one second before. I have banned them from my wallet.
You would also think there would be someone there to prevent him from changing his own and other people's posts in order to justify abusing them and misrepresent things later. But there isn't. His message to me was, and I quote, 'I answer to noone, not even Snyder.' I guess he feels absolute dictatorial power legitmizes his copy, instead of exposing it for what it is, his own sick and selfish career and power play.
Most people at the site are there to talk with other fans. They do not comment on his silly writing, as it is irrelevant to them. They also know any honest or negative comments about him means certain chat forum death for them. His healthy and mentally sane mods left due to it long ago. Snyder still snores on ignorantly.
The guy is like Hitler, only a bit more twisted and self obsessed. He has no heart or conscience. No sense of team or fan concern or loyalty, only himself. Snyder needs to get rid of him, yesterday. He won't see any money from me til he does.
I could list 50 chatters from there he has banned who feel the same way. Last year one of them even made an alterantive site. Wish I could find and post it for you now. Art somehow made that guy just disappear. Some are now 'former' skins fans, opting to root for a team that does not mistreat them on it's board, and is loyal to something besides a sick egoed writer. Hard to root for a team with guys like that in charge of things. Snyder needs a wakeup call. He is losing the best fans he has, family by family.
I also noticed, the skins have sucked since he became their writer. They have not been a serious contender since. Maybe he is the real reason why.
1:42 am
Maybe his writing and mod bahaviour creates an atmosphere of defeated wimpery, weird control, apathy, and half hearted living. Maybe that atmosphere IS the main problem in our win/loss column.
I can tell you that in our seemingly long lost glory days, the atmposphere was not controlled by writers, but by dedicated warriors like Dexter Manley, Dave Butz, and a long list of others, who put on helmets and went to war every Sunday. Truth is Gibbs just rode their wave. They were bad to the bone before he arrived.
Somehow the atmosphere has changed from a fiery team with destiny clamped in it's jaws, like a wolf who will never give up it's prey, to one of weird little self obsessed sissies. Now victory and true greatness seems to be a secondary concern. Maybe Dr Phil can help us.
3:45 pm
2 years later, and Art is still a not nice person.