Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder is expected to face another NFL investigation after a former employee accused him of sexual assault, and there is once again talk that he could be forced to sell the team.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on NBC’s Super Bowl pregame that there is a sense Snyder could be pushed out in Washington. The NFL fined the then-Washington Football Team $10 million last year following a workplace misconduct investigation. The league did not ask attorney Beth Wilkinson, who led the investigation, to provide a written report, but Florio says she would have recommended at the time that Snyder sell his franchise.
The pressure is said to be mounting again. Six former Washington employees spoke with the U.S. House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee in a hearing on Feb. 3. During that hearing, former Redskins cheerleader and marketing manager Tiffani A. Johnston made a detailed sexual assault allegation against Snyder. Florio says that could be the final straw for the 57-year-old billionaire.
“The league is now going to investigate those (allegations),” Florio said. “I’m told, for the first time ever, there is a sense among ownership that the time may have come for Daniel Snyder to move on.”
The previous investigation into workplace misconduct in Washington stemmed from sexual harassment allegations against five former employees. Snyder was not directly accused of anything, but there was still speculation that he could be forced to sell the team.
A separate report that came out months later revealed that Snyder paid $1.6 million to settle a sexual misconduct claim in 2009. The settlement did not include any admission of wrongdoing from Snyder or the team.
Snyder filed a lawsuit roughly a year ago that was related to Washington’s minority owners possibly trying to push him out. He has once again found himself on the defensive.
Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
