Life is pretty good right now for Jerry Jones, whose Dallas Cowboys can secure first place in the NFC East with a primetime win in Philadelphia over the Eagles on Sunday.
However, Dan Snyder apparently has the ability to bring Jones back down to earth with the snap of a finger.
Snyder, hailed as one of the worst franchise owners in all of sports, has been at the center of controversy in recent years. There have been accusations of sexual harassment and shady financial practices, among other allegations, within the Washington Commanders organization, but Snyder still has yet to face a significant punishment and there's seemingly no doubt hovering over his ability to own the team.
So, what gives? In a column published Thursday, ESPN's investigative team revealed why there's trepidation about taking real action against Snyder. Jones apparently is among those who could suffer if the Commanders owner decides to go on the attack.
From ESPN:
According to more than 30 owners, league and team executives, lawyers and current and former Commanders employees interviewed by ESPN, the fear of reprisal that 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 look into other owners -- and (Roger) Goodell.
League sources say the NFL is aware that Snyder has claimed to be tracking owners. But none of the owners or sources would reveal how they learned of Snyder's alleged effort to use private investigators. It's also unclear how many owners are said to have been targeted, though sources say they believe it's at least six. One owner was told by Snyder directly that he "has dirt on Jerry Jones," a team source told ESPN, though the nature of the information was unclear. Another source confirmed that Snyder has told a confidant that he has "a file" on Jones, the Dallas Cowboys owner who has served as Snyder's friend, mentor and longtime firewall of support.
Snyder and his wife, Tanya, who also is a team official, declined interview requests from ESPN. A Commanders spokesperson refuted the report that Snyder hired/authorized private investigators to track other NFL owners and league executives, telling ESPN the allegation is "categorically false."
