'Deeply Hurt,' Mitchell Retires; Redskins Great Felt Slighted by Team - The Washington Post | HighBeam Research

Bobby Mitchell retired yesterday after 41 seasons with the Washington Redskins as a player, scout and front-office executive, saying he was "deeply hurt" by the manner in which late owner Jack Kent Cooke passed him over for the team's general manager job in 1988 and by Coach Steve Spurrier's decision to issue his uniform number to another player last season.

"People just missed it," Mitchell said of tight end Leonard Stephens wearing No. 49. "They weren't thinking. It was an oversight. But my family and my friends and I, we grieved about it all year. It's really close to what happened with Mr. Cooke, but this one might have been the worst one. It was tough for me to see the pain of …