Dan gonna Dan
Dan Snyder has been considered a petty man, and there have been many stories over the years that paint a disturbing picture of the lengths he will go to in order to get a win over his enemies. The latest story from the Washington Post tells the story of a man being forced out of the club, and kicking and screaming the whole way out the door.
Dan Snyder has reportedly demanded that the other NFL owners and the league indemnify him against future legal liability and costs if he sells the team. He has also threatened to sue if the league doesn’t cooperate with his demands. Snyder also wants the league to bury the results of the Mary Jo White investigation into him and the team, the same way they did with the league’s first investigation led by Beth Wilkinson.
This has angered other owners who are getting impatient with Snyder’s handling of the sale, and the possibility that he will try to keep his majority stake in the team. His demands for indemnification would shield him from lawsuits that could happen after he sells, and are considered a non-starter for other owners.
“He wants indemnification if he sells,” one of those people said, adding that the owners regard the demand as “ridiculous” and “absurd” and believe Snyder should provide indemnification to the other owners for any legal claims that may arise from his and the team’s actions.
The owners “definitely” would move toward a vote to remove Snyder from ownership of his team if he does not sell the franchise, that person said. Such a vote would require support by at least three-quarters of the owners. The other person who confirmed Snyder’s demands added that the dispute “could get messy.”
The Washington Commanders issued the following statement about the Washington Post’s latest story on Dan Snyder:
“The story posted tonight by the Washington Post regarding the transaction process involving the Washington Commanders is simply untrue.”
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has long been one of Snyder’s allies among the other owners, and at times has been seen as his shield from harsher criticisms. The Washington Post reports that Jones is trying to make peace between Snyder and the rest of the league, and get this deal done as quickly and quietly as possible.
According to one of the people with knowledge of the situation, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is attempting to broker a peace deal by which Snyder would sell the Commanders and leave the NFL without further acrimony. Jones long has been considered Snyder’s closest ally among his fellow owners. The Cowboys did not respond to a request for Jones to comment.
Dan Snyder has received at least two bids for his team, with the highest bid reportedly for $6.3 billion. There have been conflicting reports on whether Dan Snyder has blocked Jeff Bezos from the bidding process. The Post confirms other reports that Snyder’s beef over Bezos’ ownership of the paper that has continued to investigate the franchise is real and is preventing the richest potential bidder from participating in the process. They added that it’s still not clear whether that is his final decision, or is a negotiating tactic to get more money from Bezos or other bidders.
NFL owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell have been quiet about the sale recently, but Snyder’s latest demands could push them to do something unprecedented, vote another owner out of the league. They would need 24 owners to give Snyder the boot, and they reportedly feel confident they would overcome any legal challenges from Snyder. This would be a last resort and still seems like posturing from the league. Snyder would take this to federal court if it ever got that far, tying up ownership for months or years as he exhausted every option. Snyder would still get paid from the sale, but it would be a nightmare for the league.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was angered by Daniel Snyder’s indemnification demand, according to one of the people with knowledge of the matter. The league and owners are prepared to fight Snyder legally if necessary, that person said, but would prefer for Jones to convince Snyder to accept a record price for his team and leave the league without a confrontation in court. The owners believe any vote they might take to remove Snyder would survive a legal challenge, according to that person.
“It just seems to get worse. … If you want to sue, fine,” that person said. “If you want to fight, we’ll fight. … [But] hopefully in the long run, through just talking to him, he’ll realize this isn’t the way to go.”
Sell the team Dan.