Congress report on Commanders owner Dan Snyder lays bare abusive tactics and NFL's whitewashing
Details of Dan Snyder's role in the Washington Commanders scandal have been revealed. On Thursday, the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee released its final report after a 14-month investigation into the NFL team.
The 79-page report details the role that the committee believes team owner Daniel Snyder played in a toxic workplace. It looks at not only his own doing but also how he encouraged others in the organization to do so.
The committee also noted the Commanders' owner took extensive measures to prevent details of his wrongdoing from becoming public. Dan Snyder is accused of sexual harassment by former Commanders' employees.
The report also states that the National Football League enabled him. According to the investigation, the NFL failed to stop any further abuse and hid any evidence that would prove what was happening behind closed doors.
"Rather than seek real accountability, the NFL aligned its legal interests with Mr. Snyder's, failed to curtail his abusive tactics, and buried the investigation's findings."
The Commanders' team owner is also accused of paying off witnesses who the committee had intended to interview, to desist them from doing so. Although these accusations appear to be quite serious, there don't seem to be any consequences resulting from the report.
The Committee and Congress appear to have now set their sights on creating laws that require professional sports teams to follow workplace and labor laws. This will also help in preventing tax breaks for NFL stadiums and organizations.
Dan Snyder's net worth could see billion-dollar bump with Commanders' sale
Before purchasing the Washington-based team in 1999 for $750 million, Dan Snyder made his fortune with Snyder Communications, a business he started after dropping out of college. In 2000, he sold the company to Havas, a French firm in exchange for $2.1 billion in stock.
According to Forbes, the Commanders' owner currently has a net worth of $4.9 billion. This ranks him at #211 on Forbes' 400 richest people list.
As speculation continues to grow that the Washington Commanders could soon be sold, what would that do to his net worth?
The Commanders are currently worth an estimated $5.6 billion, which NFL fans find shocking as the organization isn't one to spend money, especially on a new stadium.
His current net worth would get an approximate increase of at least one billion dollars. That number is just an estimate due to the amount of debt that he potentially has.
When he purchased the team, he took out a $350 million loan and years later, still carried the debt. In 2020, he took out another loan to buy out the minority owners who wanted out of the team's ownership.
It's a guessing game as to how much Dan Snyder would actually make off a possible sale of the team. And considering that he is also accused of hiding the real profit margins from the National Football League, one may never know his financial status.