Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder is running out of allies in the NFL, and he appears to be preparing for even his longtime buddy Jerry Jones to turn on him.
ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Tisha Thompson spoke with a collection of more than 30 team owners, NFL executives and people associated with the Commanders for a lengthy piece on Snyder that was published Thursday. The main takeaway is that Snyder, who is facing investigations on multiple fronts, has supposedly been gathering “dirt” on fellow owners and commissioner Roger Goodell. The goal would be to “blow up” other high-powered NFL figures if there is an effort to force Snyder out as owner of the Commanders.
That is said to include Jerry Jones, who was once considered a friend and mentor of Snyder’s. A team source told ESPN that one team owner was told directly by Snyder that Snyder “has dirt on Jerry Jones.” Another ESPN source said Snyder told someone close to him that he has “a file” on Jones. It is unclear what information Snyder claims to be sitting on.
Snyder has reportedly even gone as far as to hire private investigators to look into Goodell and other powerful NFL figures. A Commanders spokesperson told ESPN that any claims about Snyder hiring private investigative firms is “categorically false.”
It was suggested back in May that NFL owners could move to push Snyder out. They could do that either by pressuring him to sell or having 24 of 32 owners vote to remove him. Some owners may be concerned by the precedent a move like that would set. Jones, of course, is one of the most powerful figures in NFL history. He could undoubtedly sway votes if it came down to it. Snyder is well aware of that.
