As NFL commissioner Roger Goodell prepares to testify before the House Oversight Committee regarding the league’s investigation into the Washington Commanders, owner Dan Snyder is poised to avoid major discipline from the league.
Snyder stepped away from day-to-day operations and received a $10 million fine after an NFL investigation found merit in allegations of the team’s toxic culture and sexual harassment for years.
However, the league wouldn’t disclose the findings of its investigation. Citing a desire to protect the privacy of the victims, the NFL indicated it only received an oral presentation on the findings by an independent investigator. The decision to withhold the full report from the public received overwhelming criticism.
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It resulted in the House Oversight Committee launching its own inquiry into the Commanders, uncovering direct allegations of sexual harassment against Snyder and accusations of financial misconduct.
While the NFL is investigating both claims made against Snyder and his team, it appears the notorious owner likely isn’t headed for real discipline from his peers.
On the Yahoo Sports’ You Pod to Win the Game podcast, reporter Charles Robinson explained why he believes Snyder will avoid any serious and public punishment from the NFL.
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“I haven’t gotten any indication that the league, right now is overly bent about anything, that Dan Snyder might have been doing with revenues. Which again, I personally think is probably because there are some other revenue skeletons out there with NFL owners. I think that’s something they’d rather handle internally..”
Charles Robinson on financial misconduct allegations against Dan Snyder
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Snyder is likely headed towards a relatively minor punishment from the league, at least publicly. The NFL’s focus on its reputation seems entirely focused on conduct detrimental to its brand done by players.
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Of course, several factors play into how team owners perceive the accusations made against Snyder and shine a light on why he might avoid severe discipline from the league.
Why NFL might avoid going after Dan Snyder
As mentioned above, the NFL’s primary objective is to protect the perceived integrity of its brand. Owners prioritize revenue over everything else and whether it’s allegations of sexual misconduct or minor financial shenanigans, neither seem to impact the league’s economic outlook.
Related: NFL owners not happy with Dan Snyder
Snyder denied accusations that his organization withheld ticket revenue from the NFL, despite a former team employee reportedly providing evidence to support his claims. While the former executive’s testimony said the Commanders withheld $5 million in ticket revenue from the league, that might not be worth the hassle of dropping the proverbial hammer on Snyder.
As Robinson notes, that’s not to suggest Snyder is liked by his peers. It’s simply an example of them believing the league is better off handling the matter internally instead of setting a new precedent for disciplining team owners.
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“I think other NFL owners are just tired of dealing with Dan Snyder’s s***. I think they’re just tired of it. They don’t want to fuel it, they don’t want to stoke it, they don’t want to talk about it in public. Anything that is going to happen to Dan Snyder is going to happen behind closed doors.”
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson on NFL owners’ feelings toward Daniel Snyder
Previous reporting suggested Snyder’s counterparts with counting votes for his removal. However, Goodell denied any notion of that happening.
- Dan Snyder net worth: $4 billion
One critical factor in play could be Snyder’s response to any attempt to push him out. The billionaire could pursue legal action. pushing the matter into civil court and seeking vengeance against the league. The NFL is pushing to keep the Jon Gruden lawsuit out of the public light so as to avoid the process of discovery uncovering damaging information regarding other team owners and prominent league members.
Snyder, if forced to sell his team, would have far more resources at his disposal and seemingly a bigger ax to grind with the NFL. It’s a fight owners don’t want to go through. While a light punishment for Snyder would certainly draw outrage from fans and media, it might be better for the NFL’s bottom line than whatever Snyder could put them through.