Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder exploring the sale of team

By David Close, CNN

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder, who has been accused of fostering a “toxic workplace” in the NFL franchise, is considering a sale of the team.

Through a team statement on Wednesday, Snyder and his wife, Tanya, announced that they hired Bank of America Securities “to consider potential transactions.”

The move comes months after a House Oversight Committee investigating the Commanders owner accused him of fostering a “toxic workplace” and conducting “a shadow investigation to target his accusers, pin the blame on others, and influence the NFL’s own internal review.”

An internal investigation by attorney Beth Wilkinson last year resulted in the NFL fining the Commanders $10 million and Snyder handing control of the franchise’s daily operations to his wife. Snyder has denied the accusations.

The Commanders Wednesday statement reads: “Dan and Tanya Snyder and the Washington Commanders announced today that they have hired BofA Securities to consider potential transactions. The Snyders remain committed to the team, all of its employees and its countless fans to putting the best product on the field and continuing the work to set the gold standard for workplaces in the NFL.”

Attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who represent more than 40 former employees accusing Snyder of workplace improprieties, in a statement called the possible sale “a good development for the team, its former and current employees, and its many fans.”

“We will have to see how this unfolds, but this could obviously be a big step towards healing and closure for the many brave women and men who came forward,” the attorneys said.

Snyder last month denied allegations he hired private investigators to look into his NFL counterparts, as well as league Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The denial came in response to an ESPN report that cited multiple unnamed owners and league and team sources and said the Commanders owner “instructed his law firms to hire private investigators to look into other owners — and Goodell.”

In a letter sent to NFL owners, Snyder said the allegation was “patently false and intended to erode the trust and goodwill between owners that I take quite seriously.”

ESPN has alleged that current and former team executives said Snyder “is still far more involved running the club than most realize,” adding that he lobbied to acquire quarterback Carson Wentz from the Indianapolis Colts, while the sources questioned if team president Jason Wright, the first Black man in NFL history to hold that title, “has true authority to fix the team.”

Goodell testified before the congressional panel in June and said the Commanders’ culture was “not only unprofessional, but toxic for far too long.”

But the commissioner maintained that the Commanders’ workplace has changed for the better and that Snyder “faced unprecedented discipline,” including the fine.

Goodell said Snyder had not attended league or committee meetings in the past year, and noted the Commanders put in place “an entirely new, highly skilled and diverse management team” and “revamped” their cheerleading program and leadership with a coed dance team.

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