NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday that Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder won’t be involved in the day-to-day operations of the franchise for the “foreseeable future” as Tanya Snyder has filled in for her absent husband at league meetings in Florida this week.
“Dan Snyder has not been involved in day-to-day operations,” Goodell told reporters in Palm Beach on Tuesday. “Don’t believe he’s been at the facility, and when we continue to have league matters, Tanya has represented the team as the CEO on both a day-to-day basis, but also here with the league. She represented the club here and that will continue for at least the foreseeable future.
“But Dan and I will talk about that at some point,” the commissioner said.
A source with knowledge of the situation said Dan Snyder was out of the country on business.
In July 2021, the league said Dan Snyder would be voluntarily giving up day-to-day control of the franchise for “several months.” The announcement was made when the league partially unveiled the findings of its investigation into the team’s alleged workplace misconduct.
After more than 40 women said they were sexually harassed while working for the club, the league fined Washington $10 million.
Days before the NFL’s announcement, the team named Tanya Snyder co-CEO. She has since been labeled “co-owner” and has represented the team on league business, including this past fall’s meetings.
Goodell’s comments on the extent of Dan Snyder’s involvement notwithstanding, the embattled billionaire was a regular at games last year and indications are he is playing a key role in longer-term projects like the team’s pursuit of a new stadium. He also made brief remarks at the team’s rebranding event in February when Washington unveiled its Commanders moniker.
Earlier this month, coach Ron Rivera said he received feedback from both the Snyders — Dan and Tanya — when negotiating a trade for quarterback Carson Wentz.
Rivera also told a local radio station in January that he also met with the Snyders for an end-of-the-year wrapup.
“For the most part, it’s an opportunity for me to visit with them and just kind of go through things,” Rivera told The Team 980. “At the end of the day, the most important thing that we talked about really is going forward and what the plan is.”
In the months since, the league has launched a new investigation into Dan Snyder. The league hired investigator Mary Jo White after former employee Tiffani Johnston publicly accused him of touching her inappropriately during a work dinner in 2005 or 2006. Johnston told members of Congress that Washington’s owner touched her thigh underneath a dinner table and later tried to coax her into his limo. Snyder has denied the accusations.
The team initially said it would conduct its own investigation into the matter before the league quickly stepped in. Goodell told reporters during the lead-up to the Super Bowl that he could “not see any way” a team could investigate itself.
The team’s and the league’s handling of the complaints about the owner and other executives caught the attention of Congress, where the House Oversight and Reform Committee launched its own investigation that remains ongoing. Last month, the league turned over a series of additional documents related to the initial probe of Washington’s workplace to the congressional committee.
On Tuesday, Goodell was asked whether he had any concerns about the Commanders’ franchise outside the investigation. The team ranked second-to-last in attendance last year and lost one of its biggest sponsors in Anheuser-Busch, which confirmed it was not renewing its contract with the team.
“We focus on that with every team,” Goodell said. “My understanding is early returns, ticket sales are doing very well in Washington. They’re making a lot of progress. We’re very optimistic going into the season. That’s the early reports I’ve had. So I think it’s — ultimately, it will come down to the work that they need to do to connect with the fans and engage the fans and make sure that the franchise continues to be successful.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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