After a tumultuous 2020 left Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder changing the name of his team and at the center of several lawsuits that involved both infighting in the front office and sexual harassment allegations, there were many calls from the fan base for him to sell his stake of the team, and even multiple part-owners looking to cash out as well.
Instead of selling the team and giving many fans what they want, Snyder is doing the exact opposite; he is now working to buy the remaining shares and become the sole owner, according to multiple reports.
Here is the explainer from the New York Times on Wednesday morning:
Support for Snyder’s purchase comes as the N.F.L.’s investigation into sexual harassment claims made against former Washington Football Team executives concludes. In the coming days, Commissioner Roger Goodell may address the findings collected by Beth Wilkinson, a Washington-based lawyer whom Snyder hired last summer to investigate after several Washington Post articles reported widespread sexual harassment of women who worked for the team over a 15-year span. The N.F.L. took over her investigation from Snyder.
So one of the most controversial owners in the NFL, a man who is at the center of multiple lawsuits and an ongoing investigation into sexual harassment under his watch, is being made more power, and the NFL is encouraging it? Yep, that’s what it sounds like.
However, this new move, if approved by the rest of the NFL owners next week, would not mean that the investigation from Beth Wilkinson is over.
Despite news of an agreement for Snyder to consolidate full ownership control, the review of the Washington Football Team by attorney Beth Wilkinson continues, per source.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) March 24, 2021
There is still a chance that the owners do not reach an agreement in a vote to allow this, but that seems unlikely, considering the NFL is one of the parties pushing for this.
