The Collapse of the Commander in Chief

Washington Post via Getty Images

On 20^th July 2023, a group led by investor Josh Harris purchased the Washington Commanders NFL team from Dan Snyder for $6.05 billion, the highest amount ever paid for a sports team. While fans of the franchise, disappointed by continually underwhelming results, had been calling for Snyder to sell for much of his 24-year tenure, it seemed that he was quite content in the driver’s seat.

That all began to change on 16^th July 2020 when the Washington Post ran an exposé wherein 15 former female employees of the organisation alleged sexual assault and verbal abuse while working there. This kickstarted a chain of events that would ultimately, over 3 years later, compel Snyder to sell the team and abscond to the UK.

Of the 15 women interviewed, only Emily Applegate was initially named, the others fearful of the legal and career fallout that could arise from broken non-disclosure agreements. When asked by The Post to release the women from these NDAs, the team declined. When asked multiple times for an interview, Snyder declined. In the week following, three former male employees accused of improper behaviour departed and the team announced it had hired D.C. area lawyer Beth Wilkinson to conduct an internal investigation.

Shortly over a month later on 26^th August, as Wilkinson’s investigation continued, an additional 25 women came to The Post with accusations of sexual harassment, some citing a lewd video covertly produced during a calendar shoot. According to former Washington employee Brad Baker, lead broadcaster Larry Michael had allegedly told staffers to make this video for Dan Snyder. Snyder again declined to comment before publication but commented afterwards that, “I do not have any knowledge of the ten-year old videos referenced in the story. I did not request their creation and I never saw them.”

On 22^th December 2020, the Washington Post reported that as part of a settlement in 2009, the team had paid a former female employee who had accused Snyder of sexual misconduct $1.6 million. These details were uncovered as part of the Wilkinson investigation, but in an effort to try and prevent their filing, former general counsel of the team David Donovan had previously sued Wilkinson in November. As seen above, his attempt was ultimately unsuccessful and the findings were made public.

Almost a year after the initial accusations surfaced, on 2^nd July 2021 the NFL announced the findings of Wilkinson’s investigation and fined the team $10 million. As part of an imposed organisational reshuffle and new restrictions on Snyder’s role within the team, his wife Tanya was appointed co-CEO taking over day-to-day operations of the team.

Over the next two years, controversy would continue to plague the team. A DEA raid, problematic historic emails, further sexual harassment accusations, and allegations of financial misconduct all served to further damage the image of the team and indeed Snyder himself. With his world seemingly collapsing around him, Snyder finally conceded on 2^nd November 2022 that he would “consider potential transactions” regarding the future of the team.

On 12^th May 2023, the Harris group signed a deal to buy the team, bringing to a close what was a tumultuous three-year period for the Snyders and the Washington Commanders franchise. As a parting gift, the NFL hit Snyder with a $60 million fine after an investigation concluded that Snyder had sexually harassed a team employee and that the team had withheld revenue from the NFL.

At the time of writing, the Washington Commanders are top of their division, with their rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year.