It’s amazing it took this long for the NFL to be sick of Dan Snyder

Dan Snyder’s legacy is one of being the NFL’s worst owner

It seems like maybe, potentially, possibly the NFL is ready to rid itself of Dan Snyder. After a yearlong investigation into workplace misconduct, which unearthed details of an alleged scheme to defraud fans and the league, we could now be reaching an end to all this.

A report Sunday from USA Today Sports detailed that owners are in the process of “counting votes,” which would lead to Snyder being forced to sell the Washington Commanders. The fact that owners would reach this point is no surprise. The remarkable part is that it took this long to get here.

Snyder quickly ascended to becoming one of the league’s most reviled owners since taking over the Commanders in 1999 — surpassing even Jerry Jones. Cowboys fans have often had a love/hate relationship with Jones over the years, with those outside of Dallas disliking him/ Snyder did the seemingly impossible by alienating everyone — including the home fans. Before we discuss what could become the nail in Snyder’s coffin, let’s run down his greatest hits of horror since assuming ownership.

• In 2004 he removed 200 feet of old-growth trees on his property to grant himself a better view of the Potomac river, and increase the value of his home. Snyder was fined, and his neighbors filed complaints about the clearcutting.
• In 2009 the team sued fans who were behind on their season ticket payments in the middle of the financial crisis brought about by the collapse of the housing market. Snyder okayed this, despite there still being a long waiting list for season tickets.
• In December of 2009 Snyder banned fans from bringing fans to FedEx Field after pent up frustration led to fans bringing anti-Snyder signs to games.
• Snyder was resolute that he would never change the former racist name of the team despite outcry from Native American communities. In 2013 he told USA Today “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER—you can use caps.”
• In 2014 the team started, at Snyder’s behest, the “Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation.” This was an attempt at sportswashing the team’s name by currying favor and giving money to some native communities and was widely slammed by Native American activists.
• In 2020 the Washington Post published several articles that began to detail the toxic workplace culture inside the Commanders which began as early as 2006. This included sexually harassing cheerleaders and other female employees, settling a sexual harassment claim with a $1.6M settlement and implicated Snyder as well as numerous male executives within the organization.
• During a House Oversight Committee investigation into the Commanders in 2022 a former team employee testified that the organization would routinely underreport revenue to visiting teams, and operated a slush money scheme that would not refund season ticket deposits when a ticket was not renewed.

It’s this final point from this year that will end up being Snyder’s downfall, should owners agree to force him to sell the team and leave the NFL. History has shown us that NFL owners are willing to overlook almost anything when it comes to people in their elite club, but withholding financial payments and colluding to defraud the league may be the straw to break the camel’s back. It might be hyperbole to call Snyder’s time in Washington a “reign of terror,” but there’s no question his time as team owner has resulted in colossal failure as a football team, an entity in the community, and caused immense pain.

Now we wait to see if 31 other owners will kick Snyder out, and free the Washington Commanders to be purchased by someone else — hopefully someone who won’t get himself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.