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Embattled Washington football owner Dan Snyder isn’t expected to lose hold of his team after 15 former employees — and two journalists — said they were sexually harassed during their time with the organization. While the NFL will consider fining the football team and taking action against those accused, the Washington Post eported it is unlikely …
Embattled Washington football owner Dan Snyder isn’t expected to lose hold of his team after 15 former employees — and two journalists — said they were sexually harassed during their time with the organization.
While the NFL will consider fining the football team and taking action against those accused, the Washington Post eported it is unlikely for the league and fellow owners to try and force Snyder into selling the club he has owned since 1999.
The 55-year-old Snyder was not accused of sexual harassment, although the report painted a picture of a toxic culture within the organization that may have perpetuated the alleged misconduct.
In a statement Friday, Snyder said the Washington Post report “strengthened my commitment to setting a new culture and standard for our team, a process that began with the hiring of Coach [Ron] Rivera” over the offseason.
NFL bylaws permit the league and team owners “the right to attempt to force the sale of a team if an owner is deemed to have engaged in conduct detrimental to the welfare of the league,” according to the Washington Post.
The league and team owners may have taken such a step three years ago against then-Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, who at the time had become the subject of allegations involving sexual harassment and the use of a racial slur against a team employee.
But Richardson abruptly announced he would be selling the team following a Sports Illustrated report that laid out the allegations, financial settlements nondisclosure agreements.
The NFL later fined Richardson $2.75 million after it conducted an investigation.
Snyder has not given any indication he would sell his team.
The NFL called the Washington accusations “disturbing.” Before taking any potential action, the league said it will review the findings of a team-hired attorney called on by Snyder to look into the club’s culture.
The allegations involving the Washington football team, which spanned from 2006 to 2019, were made against Larry Michael, the team’s former senior vice president of content and radio play-by-play announcer; Alex Santos, the former director of pro personnel; Richard Mann II, the former assistant director of pro personnel; Dennis Greene, the former president of business operations; and Mitch Gershman, the former chief operating officer.
Michael retired Wednesday, a day before the report was published, while Santos and Mann were fired last weekend.
The explosive Washington Post came on the heels of Snyder agreeing to change the team’s nickname many considered to be racist, a decision made only after facing financial pressure from team sponsors.
Minority ownership partners of the team, including Frederick W. Smith, Dwight Schar and Robert Rothman, also are in the process of selling their combined 40 percent stake in the team.
On the field, Washington has had just two playoff wins under Snyder.
