Dan Snyder
Many feel that Washington Commanders became the ‘most disturbed’ NFL Team under Dan Snyder. Initially, in 2018 when New York Times reported that 5 former cheerleaders of the Commanders were sexually harassed and intimidated by team and its sponsors, during a trip to Costa Rica for a swimsuit calendar photo shoot, Snyder’s ‘unholy’ work environment was brought to light.
Next up in July of 2020, the Washington Post made a huge revelation on the allegations made by 17 women, wherein 15 of them were former team employees of sexual harassment by members of the organization. Although Dan Snyder was not named in any of these reports, he was extensively criticized for allowing such a ruckus inside the organization. This led to the league takings stern steps by calling out these events ‘disturbing’, and contrary to the values posed by NFL.
So just when everybody was busy finding the culprit and how such wrong doings were being carried on within a team’s organization, things went haywire for Dan Synder on August of 2020. New reports claimed that an additional set of 25 women had raised allegation of sexual misconduct against the Washington Commanders’ owner.
Just when the NFL was personally taking care of things and the work culture in late 2020, the league told Dan Snyder to ‘back off’ and to not interfere in the matter, even after he took full responsibility for the work culture in Washington. Eventually in July 2021, Beth Wilkinson (the investigation officer) ensured that the NFL imposed $10 Million fine on Washington as the investigation found a ‘highly unprofessional’ workplace.
Just when the fine was imposed, and the Washington Commanders owner thought that his problems have come to an end. It was just the beginning of his downfall. In fall of 2021, Jon Gruden and his antics were brought to light. This ensured that the Congress gets involved, which is never a positive sign. Eventually in February 2022, new allegations against Dan Snyder surfaced and came out in the open, wherein a former cheerleader and later an executive with the team directly implicated Snyder of sexual misconduct.
Throw-out the year different parties kept on investigating the work culture within Washington Commanders, which even worried by the commissioner and the House Committee. However, Dan Snyder returned to headlines in October 2022. As per ESPN’s personnel’s Dan Snyder would not lose his ‘long-loved’ franchise without a fight that would end with multiple casualties.
“According to more than 30 owners, league and team executives and current and former Commanders employees’ interview by ESPN, the fear of reprisal that Dan Snyder has instilled in his franchise, poisoning it on the field and off has expanded to some of his fellow owners. Multiple owners and league and team sources say they’ve been told that Snyder instructed his law firms to hire private investigators to looks into other owners – and Goodell.”
For any owner to be removed from league for good, the vote of 24 of 32 owners are required. As per Commissioner Goodell’s previous statement, he is not enough to remove Dan Snyder from the league. That being said, having claimed to have ‘dirt’ about other owners and the commissioner in particular, there is no doubt that the Commanders’ owner has made himself one of the ‘most hated’ in the top-hierarchy community.
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