Tag: Allegations against Daniel Snyder

Is Commanders owner Daniel Snyder the worst in NFL history?

How will Daniel Snyder be remembered as Washington’s owner?

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“There have been some really terrible owners in the National Football League.”

That is how NFL Network’s Rich Eisen began a segment of his “Rich Eisen Show” Thursday.

Eisen also inquired, “Put it all together, is Dan Snyder the worst owner in the history of the National Football League?”

Well, of course, that would take extensive research throughout the history of the NFL, and Eisen certainly doesn’t have time to undertake such a huge task. Neither should we contemporaries simplistically declare that we “know” Snyder is the worst owner in NFL history.

Certainly, Snyder will be rightly criticized for his wrongly getting involved in football decisions. His zeal, though sincere, led to grievous mistakes and errors in judgment. Leading examples are the Albert Haynesworth signing, the class of 2000 free agent signings where he grossly overpaid each of those players, his siding with self-absorbed Robert Griffin over a knowledgeable coaching staff, and insisting his football staff draft Dwayne Haskins when other players on their draft board were wiser selections in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Yet, Snyder certainly paid his players well. He certainly treated many players well, not only during the regular seasons but also in the offseason, when he chose to help several of them in various ways.

Where is the record of Snyder ever choosing to single out players or mistreat players all because they were not of his ethnicity? Daniel Snyder was no racist.

Yes, certainly, the accusation that he inappropriately touched a couple of women should be taken seriously. Yet, shouldn’t it also be remembered the lack of witnesses to substantiate these accusations? The accusations may be true, yes. They also may be just as untrue. The truth is, we don’t know.

Yes, Daniel Snyder is right to be blamed for much of the wrong for which he is blamed during his unsuccessful ownership of the Washington NFL franchise.

However, Snyder will also be demonized. He will be made the scapegoat for everything that went wrong. He will be the fall guy, the stooge, the schmuck. Yes, often he was. But consider all the comedy of errors from the business side in the last couple of seasons. Consider Snyder didn’t coach or play during all these losing seasons. There is enough blame to go around.

Snyder doesn’t appear to have been a Donald Sterling, nor on par with George Preston Marshall, who was the last NFL owner to integrate.

But yes, certainly, we are glad to see Snyder move on from the franchise, and we hope this means more winning seasons for the Commanders.

But let’s keep this all in perspective, shall we?

Commanders owner Daniel Snyder and King Midas?

Daniel Snyder…and King Midas? Let us explain.

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Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder does not have a legacy that will endear him to the public over the next couple of decades.

How many of you recall learning English literature in grade school (or perhaps middle school for some) of a King Midas in Greek Mythology?

The myth taught that Midas had been hospitable, serving for one Silenus for about ten days until he was back in good health. On day 11, Midas again selflessly served Silenus returning him to Dionysus in Lydia.

Dionysius then thanked Midas and to show his appreciation told Midas he would grant Midas a wish for him. Midas wished that all he touched would be turned to gold and so his wish was granted.

Upon receiving his new powers, Midas was so happy to find that when he touched stones they turned to gold. At home when he touched roses they also became gold.

However, he soon found his powers brought major problems to his life as when he attempted to drink or eat food they too turned to gold. His huge powers were now seen to also be a huge curse.

Money, power, popularity, and fame are all things most of us desire greatly until a very few of us attain them and find that what appeared to be a great blessing is now a great curse.

Has this not been the case for the Commanders owner Daniel Snyder?

Snyder grew a communications business into a billion dollar profit, and with it, purchased the one thing perhaps he wanted more than anything else, the Washington Redskins in 1999.

He was instantly portrayed as a fan, who loved the team and would bring the team success. He soon was popular, receiving all sorts of positive feedback and hopes from the Washington fan base and media.

Yet, in only a couple of months, Charley Casserly was “resigning.” In that first season, the then-Redskins won the NFC East for the first time since 1991. He was experiencing immediate success.

Looking back, wasn’t it the worst thing that could have happened for Snyder? In his second season, he determined he was the practicing general manager making personnel decisions, signing aging veterans to over-priced contracts leaving Washington with dead-cap money in years to come.

Thus for the next 22 seasons, he never had a true NFL general manager other than Scot McCloughan, whom he and Bruce Allen did not permit to act as true general manager. He fired Marty Schottenheimer after only one season. He hired Jim Zorn to be his head coach, though he had yet to be a coordinator.

In his 24 NFL seasons as Washington’s owner, there have been 8 head coaches but only 2 playoff wins.  In the playoffs, Snyder was 2-6 and his regular season record was 164-220-2.

The home attendance has plummeted to dead last in 2022, certain aspects of the stadium are in desperate need, there has been an investigation (covered up with no public report) and now another investigation. There have been lawsuits, accusations, and settlements.

His office in Ashburn is empty, and his local residence is for sale. What once began as a fun adventure in 1999 is ending in a desire to live in anonymity. What was once a blessing because a curse as poor choices continued to doom his aspirations as owner.

Perhaps, might Snyder and Midas have more in common than we thought at first glance?

Where are we in the process of the Commanders’ sale?

We are one step closer to a new owner for the Commanders after Friday. What’s next?

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On Friday, there was another announcement regarding the potential sale of the Washington Commanders by longtime owner Daniel Snyder.

So, where are we today, and where are we in the process of this future sale?

On April 13, a nonexclusive deal with the Josh Harris group was announced. That agreement was not final, nor was it a signed deal exclusively with Harris.

Friday, May 12 a new stage in the process was reached. This was an exclusive deal with the Harris Group, and the amount of $6.05 billion was confirmed.

Though his office was cleaned out at the Ashburn facility months ago, though there were multiple reports that Mr. Snyder was moving forward toward an actual sale of the team, up to that point the one person we had not heard from that Snyder was absolutely selling was Daniel Snyder himself. That statement finally arrived on May 12.

Next, the NFL Finance Committee will look at the particulars of the deal and then recommend it to the other owners for a vote. A vote in the affirmative for the sale to the Harris group will require the approval of at least three-fourths (24) of the league’s 32 owners.

Questions remain regarding the Mary Jo Wright report. Don Van Natta Jr. reported Friday that Snyder is seeking to limit the release of Mary Jo White’s report. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has previously stated that there will be a written report made public.

A.J. Perez, reporter of Front Office Sports stated Friday that White’s report may not be made available until late in the 2023 calendar year.

Daniel Wallach, Legal Analyst at the Athletic stated Friday that White “has told lawyers and witnesses involved in the case that she expects her entire report to be made public, not just her findings.”

There may always remain uncertainty regarding Snyder’s personal involvement in sexual harassment. It is very difficult to prove in cases where it has occurred. Yet, the sexual harassment that was too often in the facility does indeed fall under his watch. He was the boss, the owner. “The buck stops here” does apply in leadership. As has often been said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”

The NFL is going to want to see this sale finalized. They desire the removal of Daniel Snyder.

It’s difficult for Washington NFL fans to be patient regarding this, but they might as well because the process is still continuing further down the road, though perhaps not as quickly as most would like.

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Commanders fans reactions on Twitter to Daniel Snyder selling the team

Some of the best reactions to Thursday’s news.

Oh, the Commanders fans are expressing their excitement this afternoon!

News of Commanders owner Daniel Snyder agreeing to sell broke today, and the Commanders fans can’t contain their excitement.

Yet Washington Post reporter Nicki Jhabvala reminds all of the DMV that though Josh Harris (Philadelphia 76ers owners) has reached an agreement to purchase the Commanders, nothing has yet to be submitted to the NFL.

So, we need to keep reminding ourselves that this is the next step in the process, but there are other steps before this is final — a done deal.

However, Commanders/Football Team/Redskins fans are so much anticipating this that they are on Twitter already celebrating that we have moved closer to the DMV NFL franchise having a new owner.

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There are several voluminous tweets; here are ten that caught my attention Thursday afternoon.

Twitter responds to latest Daniel Snyder story

Some of the reactions to the latest Dan Snyder controversy.

Just when you thought you understood where things stand with Washington Commanders Daniel Snyder, ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. unleashed his mega-lengthy story.

Tuesday morning Van Natta’s detailed report broke on ESPN.com, shedding light on the break up of Snyder and his minority owners.

Of course, there were many passionate reactions on Twitter. Several of which I saw that I simply can’t and won’t copy and paste because we at Commanders Wire have no desire to be inappropriate or unnecessarily mean-spirited. No, we simply want to attempt to be sorting out what appears to be an even much bigger mess than we previously imagined.

Here are some of the reactions after the latest Snyder bombshell.

Jim Irsay speaks out again vs. Commanders owner Snyder

Jim Irsay speaks again ahead of his Colts hosting Daniel Snyder and the Commanders.

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It’s the eve of Daniel Snyder’s Washington Commanders coming to Lucas Oil Stadium to play the Indianapolis Colts owned by Jim Irsay.

Irsay, two weeks ago, became the first NFL owner to speak out in favor of the NFL owners using their voting authority to reach a consensus vote for the purpose of potentially removing Snyder from the exclusive 32-member club.

Now, we learn that Friday night, Irsay kept the burner on, wanting the issue to be at the forefront of Sunday’s game. This time, Irsay spoke of the NFL owners needing to step up and make sure they are the ones running the league.

There is no question Snyder has not managed the football operations well. In his very first season, before the first game was played, general manager Charley Casserly learned what kind of owner Snyder was going to be. Casserly was suddenly gone.

Literally, it’s been all downhill since as he intervenes where he should not such as the NFL draft, and burns bridges with employees on the business side as well as the football side. The Beth Wilkinson investigation uncovered nothing short of a toxic workplace all under Snyder’s watch, yet, could he not muster the courage to accept responsibility?

Irsay hasn’t exactly been the Art Rooney of the NFL either. His father, Robert, was the Colts owner when Jim graduated from SMU in 1982. By 1984, was it wise that Jim was made vice president and general manager?

When Robert died, Jim became the NFL’s youngest owner at age 37. There have been questions, serious questions, about Irsay as well. He had a mistress who then died of a drug overdose. He himself was arrested for DUI, had a drug problem, was suspended by the NFL for six games and fined $500,000.

Irsay contends that when the NFL fined Washington $10M and Snyder voluntarily stepped aside that he was not involved in the process and was “not consulted one time,” though he owns one of the 32 NFL franchises.

Irsay insists he strongly supports Roger Goodell as commissioner and has nothing personal against Daniel Snyder.

Snyder wants this to all go away. Might Irsay be enjoying this too much?

Daniel Snyder’s attorney: Tiffani Johnston’s allegations are false

Snyder’s attorney was a guest on Pro Football Talk.

Daniel Snyder’s attorney proclaims that Tiffani Johnston’s allegations are false.

Commanders owner Daniel Snyder’s legal representative John Brownlee explained his perspective as a guest Thursday on Pro Football Talk hosted by Mike Florio.

Citing that Johnston has shifted her timeline, results in questioning the integrity of her allegations. He also stated at first she did not say where this had transpired and later that it was a restaurant in DC. He also questioned her honesty in stating she had not told anyone about it, yet Brownlee claims they have her declaring in a Facebook post a year earlier, other employees had also been guilty of sexual harassment towards her.

Brownlee of (Holland and Knight) explained he has been hired to assess former employee and cheerleader Tiffani Johnston’s allegations of Snyder’s inappropriate behavior towards her personally.

Secondly, Brownlee conveyed he is also investigating allegations made by former employee Jason Friedman.  He believes he has found discrepancies in Friedman’s testimony as well.

“We feel pretty good about where we are,” regarding the evidences related to these allegations against Snyder.

Brownlee also confirmed Mary Jo White hired by the NFL to investigate, has not yet interviewed Snyder. He also reminded Florio that Snyder’s deposition before Congress lasted 11 hours and that Snyder answered every question.

Regarding the ESPN story from two weeks ago against Snyder, Brownlee responded, the sources were anonymous, allegations false, and two weeks later, there has been no corroborating evidence presented.

Concerning allegations Snyder has hired investigators to dig up dirt on other NFL owners, Brownlee said he has yet to see the slightest evidence of this being true.

Florio pointed to Snyder’s letter to fellow NFL owners last week, citing Snyder’s use of “malice,” suggesting it may indicate future litigation by Snyder against ESPN because of that story.

Brownlee pointed out that Snyder prevailed against allegations he had been associated with Jeffrey Epstein, had been paying off NFL officials, and doing drugs. Washington fans may recall as a result, Dwight Schar was banned from future NFL ownership.

Florio questioned that if all of this is a big smear campaign against Snyder, then who is behind this effort? Brownlee pointed to Congress wanting Snyder to sell the team when the NFL is not within their jurisdiction and the Katz and Banks law firm that has represented some of the cheerleaders and employees of the team in the past.

Brownlee did concede that the Washington workplace was a toxic environment a few years ago, the investigation revealing such. He also clarified that Snyder was not officially suspended, agreeing to remove himself from the day-to-day operations until November 1. Thus Tanya Snyder has been the primary representative and voice of the team during the interim.

Florio inquired regarding the emails given to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Brownlee stated he had in fact viewed those emails between Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen, calling them “shocking, quite disappointing.”

He also adamantly denied Daniel Snyder had sent those emails. “I have zero evidence that anyone connected with the team did this, zero.” Brownlee also cited that after the NFL’s Beth Wilkinson investigation and decision; it would have been against the team’s interest for anyone with the team to go back and leak those emails.

Johnston alleges Snyder at a dinner, inappropriately placed his hand on her leg and that following the dinner also attempted to pull her into an automobile with him.

Kevin Sheehan: ‘Snyder has to go!’

Sheehan gives reasons why he believes that Snyder must go.

“This can’t be about the Mary Jo White investigation.”

Kevin Sheehan has had enough of the Daniel Snyder drama and investigations.

Voicing his displeasure with Snyder and the NFL process, Sheehan on his Wednesday podcast was a great listen.

Sheehan declared Mary Jo White is investigating matters that are “purely he-said, she-said” and that Jason Friedman, former franchise business employee, “has lied under oath,” and that “it is possible that Mary Jo White may conclude nothing.”

The lifelong Washington (teams) sports fan then lit into why the NFL should rid themselves of Snyder. Here are some excerpts.

“Nothing that she finds is going to take away from the FACTS that it was a very toxic workplace culture as Beth Wilkinson concluded and Roger Goodell stated when they fined the team $10M and gave Snyder a quasi-suspension.”

“The importance of all of this, and the emphasis on this should be why a once-profitable, passionate, incredible NFL market of fans is now gone! And it is not coming back until he leaves, whether her investigation produces something or not.”

“The big picture is this market is gone, as an NFL market! It doesn’t exist anymore in terms of anything remotely resembling what it was. The league knows that. That is why they want him out. Every owner knows it; that’s why they want him out. A lot of the owners don’t like him personally, and there is a personal animus involved in this as well. Which by the way, you should separate.”

“Bottom line is, they can’t get this market back until he leaves. A new stadium is not going to do it. Mary Jo White’s investigation is not going to do it. Winning isn’t going to do it.”

“The name change was basically the death knell for a lot of people whether Snyder is here or not. I do understand a lot of people are never coming back. That was the final nail in the coffin.”

“If the league wants any part of resuscitating any part of this market, turning it (back) into a revenue generator, and having it be a market they can be proud of in the nation’s capital, he has to go.”

“He is a bad owner and incompetent owner. One of the worst in the history of professional sports. He has ruined what was once something very sacred and special to a major city, the nation’s capital.”

“It is an embarrassment to the league. It is an under-performer. But so were the New York Knicks for many years, and so were the Cardinals for years. It is very hard to run someone who wants to be here (NFL) for being incompetent… So I am still skeptical that this is going to lead to his ouster.”

“They need to convince him to sell. He can sell the team, and the owners need to pass the hat around and come up with an extra half billion dollars, and get him out…’Here, this is what we will do if you will leave.’ I don’t think he is going to. I think his heels are dug in.”

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Commanders fans in unison regarding Dan Snyder?

It sure seems like Jim Irsay is a popular man in Washington after Tuesday’s comments.

One trend easily noticed and expected Tuesday afternoon was Commanders fans’ reaction to the comments of Colts owner Jim Irsay about Washington owner Dan Snyder.

In summary, the hope of Washington fans soared instantly.

By the way, how many noticed Irsay referred to the team as “the Redskins”? This is the third season of the franchise not being the Redskins, and an NFL owner is still referring to them as the Redskins?

We’ve compiled several reactions from Tuesday’s news of Irsay publicly discussing the potential of forcing Snyder out as the owner of the Commanders.

 

Commanders respond to Colts owner Jim Irsay

The Washington Commanders respond to Colts owner Jim Irsay.

The Washington Commanders wasted no time responding to Colts owner Jim Irsay Tuesday.

“It is unfortunate that Mr. Irsay decided to go public with his statement today, while an investigation is in process, and the team had no opportunity to formally respond to the allegations,” a Commanders spokesperson said.

Here’s the full statement, courtesy of Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

It had already been made public that officially nothing was scheduled for Tuesday’s owner’s meeting involving the matter of Daniel Snyder as the owner of the Washington Commanders.

However, there was to be an owners-only session Tuesday afternoon. It was believed that the NFL owners have reached the point that they at least must unofficially discuss Snyder’s ownership of the Washington Commanders.

Irsay today had declared, “I believe there is merit to removing him as owner.”

“I just think that once owners talk amongst each other, they’ll arrive to the right decision,” Irsay stated. “My belief is that, unfortunately, I believe that that’s the road we probably need to go down, and we just need to finish the investigation. But it’s gravely concerning to me, the things that have occurred there over the last 20 years.”

Irsay reminded his audience that it is the NFL owners who are to be responsible to address this issue responsibly. “I think serious consideration has to be given to the removal and we have complete authority to do that.”

Mr. Snyder has been and remains the subject of two investigations. One is by the NFL itself, and the other is being conducted by the U.S. Congress Committee of Oversight and Reform.