Where in the world is Dan Snyder today in his quest for researching building a new state of the art stadium and “finding inspiration from everywhere?”
Fiji? Greenland? Hagerstown?
TMZ “caught” Snyder — who looked like he had just come from Planet Fitness — and his entourage touring SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles recently on their scavenger hunt looking for “the best of the best” from stadiums not just in America, but around the world.
“We’re touring stadiums” Snyder told TMZ last week. “There’s about 12 of us and we’re just looking to build a new venue back home in D.C., Virginia, Maryland. So, we’re everywhere.”
His new Washington Football Team partners were probably pleased to see that.
New partners? The NFL.
Yes, that’s right. When the NFL recently approved Snyder’s ability to take on an additional $450 million in debt to buy out his minority partners to settle their feud with Snyder, about $200 million of that came from the NFL itself in a loan, sources said.
That, in essence, makes the NFL partners in the ownership of the franchise — and presumably gives them more control over the owner who has been an embarrassment to their business since he purchased the team in 1999.
And with that loan, the league has turned up the pressure for Snyder to get a new stadium deal — the most important currency owners deal with, the work that helps drive up the value of every franchise.
If Snyder doesn’t deliver by 2028 — the deadline, according to the New York Times, to repay the debt — the NFL may finally have had enough of Snyder and banish him from the club.
No stadium? No ticket.
This — not a report from NFL lawyer Beth Wilkinson about sexual harassment allegations within the Washington Football organization under Snyder’s regime — is what could force the owner out.
That is disappointing to human beings who are hoping that a track record of sanctioned abhorrent behavior will be enough to push the other NFL owners to cut Snyder loose. Speculation is that there aren;t going to be enough disgusting revelations in the Wilkinson report to make the NFL try to kick Snyder out of the club.
Then again, no one can predict the pressure the league will be under when the report is finally released and the outrage begins. And there will be pressure if the result is anything short of Snyder’s departure.
The Washington Post gave you a glimpse of that pressure with their editorial last week admonishing the NFL for the delay in releasing the details of the Wilkinson probe. At the Super Bowl in early February, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters that the Wilkinson was “nearing the completion” of her investigation. For those who struggle with math, that was four months ago.
“Ms. Wilkinson’s report will go to the NFL, and it will be up to Mr. Goodell to decide what to release and what action to take, the Washington Post said in a May 28 editorial. “Since the investigation started, Mr. Goodell has commended Mr. Snyder and his wife, Tanya, for making changes to the culture — never mind that its toxicity was a product of Mr. Snyder’s 21-year reign.”
Please note that this was not a sports columnist take. This is an editorial, which means they are speaking for the entire newspaper as an institution — an institution, remember that is owned by Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos, whose name has been linked to potential NFL ownership, the Washington Football Team in particular.
It was the Washington Post report in July 2020 revealing sexual harassment complaints from dozens of former female employees of the Washington Football Team that led to the Wilkinson investigation.
What may be holding up the release of the details of that probe is what will be made public. There is a battle going on behind the scenes over what despicable details people will learn about. Anything less than full transparency will set off a firestorm of criticism that the league and the Washington Football team may be underestimating. The pressure to reveal all will go all the way inside the building and create a major problem for the culture changers, where new team president Jason Wright preached the gospel of transparency when he first came to office.
Meanwhile, Snyder and his stadium entourage should spend some time surveying the parking lot next to FedEx Field.
You can hear Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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