Everything to know about Dan Snyder allegations, punishment, future with Commanders

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder is as close to losing his franchise as ever. What allegations does he face and what punishment could he receive?

With the fall NFL league meeting in session, the fate of Dan Snyder and the Washington Commanders is up in the air.

Snyder has faced increasing calls for him to sell his team in the midst of NFL investigations into sexual harassment and financial misconduct. The poor state of the franchise on the field over the years has already prompted fans to turn on him.

Then on Tuesday, Colts owner Jim Irsay opened a can of worms by openly discussing the possibility of removing Snyder as an NFL owner.

What did Colts owner Jim Irsay say about Dan Snyder?

Irsay is one of the most outspoken owners in the NFL, so it’s not surprising he would be the one to create headlines on Tuesday. However, the force with which he talked about ousting Snyder was unexpected and unprecedented.

“I believe there is merit to removing him as owner,” Irsay said, per Ian Rapoport. He also said there may be enough votes to move forward with that course of action. It would take 24 votes to remove Snyder.

Here’s more of what Irsay had to say:

“I believe in the workplace today, the standard that the shield stands for in the NFL, that you have to stand for that and protect that. I just think once owners talk among each other they will arrive at the right decision [on Snyder],” Irsay said per CBS. “Unfortunately, I believe 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.”

Commanders statement on Jim Irsay’s Dan Snyder comments

Here’s how a Commanders’ spokesperson responded to Irsay.

“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. The Commanders have made remarkable progress over the past two years. We are confident that, when he has an opportunity to see the actual evidence in the case, Mr. Irsay will conclude that there is no reason for the Snyders to consider selling the franchise. And they won’t.”

Dan Snyder’s letter to NFL owners after ESPN report

Snyder isn’t just fighting off Irsay’s opinion. He’s also having to deal with the fallout of a recent ESPN report that alleges he hired private investigators to dig up information on the other owners and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The report further alleged that Snyder is threatening to use dirt he may have over the other owners to discourage them from voting against him.

He sent a letter to each NFL owner on Tuesday to address the report.

“Dear [owner],

“I hope that you and your family are doing well.

“I would like to address a recent ESPN article that contains false and malicious statements about the Washington Commanders, our management team, and me and my family. It is particularly shameful for ESPN to diminish the very real accomplishments of our President Jason Wright, who ESPN alleges was placed at the Commanders by the League and has no power to make real change. I know you know this to be false. Unfortunately, ESPN ignored our efforts to correct the many falsehoods in their article before its publication.

“There is one allegation in the ESPN article that I feel it is important to address immediately. The article cited unnamed sources who said: “they’ve been told that Snyder instructed his law firms to hire private investigators to look into other owners” and Commissioner Goodell. That is patently false and intended to erode the trust and goodwill between owners that I take quite seriously. I have never hired any private investigator to look into any owner or the Commissioner. I have never instructed or authorized my lawyers to hire any private investigator on my behalf for any such purpose. And I never would.

“While we all are fierce competitors on the field, we are a part of this organization because we love football, our teams and our fans. Having the privilege to own a franchise in America’s sport is something I know none of us take for granted. Falsehoods and lies being spread about any of our organizations hurts our League, our players and our fans, and we simply cannot let them go unchallenged.

“Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, Tanya and I are always available to answer them, and we look forward to discussing these issues with you at the appropriate time.

Sincerely, Dan Snyder.”

What allegations is Dan Snyder facing?

Snyder is being investigated on two fronts by Mary Jo White, the former Securities and Exchange Commission chair who the NFL hired to look into his behavior as an owner.

One element of the investigation relates to allegations of sexual harassment by Snyder towards a former Washington employee. The other is on the financial front with allegations that Snyder hid revenue that should have been shared with the league.

And that’s just the areas of the current NFL investigation. Washington has been hit with a slew of allegations over the years, from withholding security deposits from season-ticket holders to fostering a toxic workplace environment.

Has the NFL ever taken a franchise away from an owner?

No, the NFL has never directly removed an owner. However, scandal has resulted in changing of the guard. Former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. was embroiled in a corruption investigation in Louisiana and voluntarily ceded control of the franchise to his sister in 2000.

Something similar happened in the NBA when Donald Sterling handed over control of the Los Angeles Clippers to his wife with the possibility of the league kicking him out looming. She went on to sell the team.

Snyder handed over day-to-day operations to his wife Tonya earlier this year in the wake of an independent investigation found there was a toxic workplace environment overseen by the owner.

Will Dan Snyder sell the Commanders?

He certainly doesn’t plan to.

Snyder has repeatedly rejected the idea of selling the team and continues to speak in such terms whenever given the chance.

How long has Dan Snyder owned the Commanders?

Snyder purchased the Commanders in 1999 for $800 million. He had made his millions through his advertising company, Snyder Communications Inc., and beat out the son of former owner Jack Cooke to acquire the team when it was sold after Cooke’s death.