Dan Snyder: A Horrible NFL Owner and Possibly a Worse Human Being -

By Luke Weidenkopf

The newly named Washington Commanders are the equivalent of a trash can on the field, but are a dumpster on fire off the field as well. The team’s problems can be traced all the way to the top with their owner Daniel Snyder.

Snyder led a purchasing group in 1999 to buy the majority stake of the Commanders for $800 million. He and his family members recently bought the last remaining stakes in the team for $875 million, giving the Snyder family complete control over the organization. In Forbes most recent report on the value of each NFL team, they estimated the Commanders total worth at $5.6 billion. Although recently hidden until now, it seems that since Snyder took over the reins of this team everything has gone downhill.

The Washington Commanders had a few good seasons under Synder, but most of them still ended in missing the playoffs. The fanbase is seemingly always at war with Synder. Many want him to sell the team and hate the changes, or lack thereof, that he has made. There has especially been controversy over the recent name change to the Commanders. Other potential names in consideration were the Red Wolves, Generals, and Tuskegee Airmen, but none of those had the legs to become the new name.

The fanbase has seen the product of the team on the field and has decided it is better to boycott the organization, which resulted in the (then) Washington Football Team having the second worst attendance in the league last season, just ahead of the Detroit Lions. FedEx Field, the home of the Commanders, has long been stated as the worst stadium in the NFL. Snyder has been trying to move the team to Virginia, but the headlines off the field have stopped any potential progress in obtaining a new stadium.

Snyder’s poor handling of the team and its finances has led other NFL owners to call for him to sell the franchise. If he refused to sell, then a vote would have to occur. A majority of 24 NFL owners would have to vote for Snyder to be forcefully removed. Many owners, anonymously, have been calling for him to sell the team. One remarked, “He needs to sell. Some of us need to go to him and tell him that he needs to sell.” This owner also believes that “there will be a movement” to force Synders hand.

The orgin of the allegations against Synder and the Commanders began on May 2, 2018, when five former Washinton Redskin’s Cheerleaders accused the team and its sponsors of sexual harassment and indimidation while on a mandatory team trip to Costa Rica in 2013 in a New York Times article. One cheerleader remarked, “They weren’t putting a gun to our head, but it was mandatory. We weren’t asked, we were told.” The women were told to be either topless or wear body paint while “entertaining” the male sponsors. Nine of the 36 women had to serve as personal escorts for the sponsors.

The allegations of sexual assault snowballed from there. Snyder has been acused of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and groping numerous times. Tifani Johnson, a former Washington Redskins cheerleader, claimed that Synder harassed her, putting his hand on her thigh, and shoving her toward his vehicle, during a team dinner. In June 2022, Synder paid $1.6 million to a woman who accused him of sexual assault on his private airplane. He has denied these allegations, and other accusations labeled against him as “meritless” and “outright lies.”

The team and its members have also been accused by 17 women of sexual harassment. Two of those accused, Alex Santos and Richard Mann II, were fired just four days before the Washington Post article came out. Larry Micheal, senior Vice President of content and play-by-play broadcast, was allowed to retire one day before the article was published. All those accused and Snyder himself have refused to comment on any of the allegations.

Snyder and his lawyers have tried to turn the blame away from him, and have attempted to find dirt on other Washington employees. In doing so, Snyder had his lawyers read over 400,000 emails, which were either sent or received by former team president Bruce Allen. Synder was attempting to pin Allen for the “team’s toxic work culture.” Nothing has been found to convict Allen or exonerate Snyder but details found in those emails led to the resignation of former Las Vegas Raiders coach, Jon Gruden, for his racist, homophopic, and sexist language.

Snyder and the Washington Football team were fined $10 million by the NFL for a highly unprofessional environment, which included sexual harassment, bullying, and intimidation.

The problems have stacked up against Dan Snyder and many question why the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, has not tried to oust him. From alleagtions of sexual harassment to workplace intimidation, the Washington Commanders need an organizational change. The best way to complete that change is a total overhaul, starting with the owner, Daniel Snyder.