The Washington Commanders were officially sold Thursday, with NFL owners unanimously approving their sale to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris
Just 12 minutes later, the league revealed the findings of its 17-month long investigation into former owner Dan Snyder.
Coincidence? Absolutely not.
Let’s start with the sale, as Harris’ journey into becoming just the second owner to own three sports teams across the NFL, NBA and NHL was passed through Thursday. His group, which consists of 20 members, is paying $6.05 billion to purchase the Commanders — a record for a North American sports franchise. Snyder had owned the majority of the Commanders since 1999 when he bought the stake for $800 million. The sale will give him a near 700% return on investment.
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“Congratulations to Josh Harris and his impressive group of partners,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a league-provided statement. “Josh will be a great addition to the NFL. He has a remarkable record in business, sports, and in his communities. The diverse group that Josh has put together is outstanding for its business acumen and strong Washington ties and we welcome them to the NFL as well.”
Now, we get to the decidedly horrible part of the story.
The NFL wasted no time in releasing the finding of their investigation into Snyder, which stemmed from allegations of sexual harassment and withholding of financial records from the league.
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The NFL hired former U.S. Attorney and SEC Chair Mary Jo White to open the investigation in February 2022, with the results leading to a $60 million fine of Snyder from the league — essentially a drop in the bucket from his recently acquired $6 billion paycheck. You can find White’s full report here.
Why did it take so long?
“Mr. Snyder, for nearly a year, refused to be interviewed and, when he did finally agree to an interview, he declared that it would be limited to one hour,” the report read.
Oh.
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In the end, the NFL is seemingly happy to get rid of Snyder, with Goodell releasing another statement following its publishing of the findings.
“The conduct substantiated in Ms. White’s findings has no place in the NFL,” Goodell said. “We strive for workplaces that are safe, respectful and professional. What (former Commanders cheerleader and marketing employee Tiffani) Johnston experienced is inappropriate and contrary to the NFL’s values.”
That all comes after Snyder and other NFL owners were involved in a weird power struggle after Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay called for his removal as owner, and ESPN revealed the findings of their own investigation.
After 24 years, we’ve finally (hopefully) reached the end of Snyder’s time in the NFL.
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Featured image via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
