As sexual misconduct and other allegations mount against Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, he reportedly believes he has protection against punishment from NFL upper brass.
Snyder has told confidants that he has amassed “dirt” on key figures within the NFL that he believes could “blow up” several NFL owners and even threaten to harm commissioner Roger Goodell, ESPN reported. He amassed the purported intel during his 23 years as owner of the Commanders and is adamant that he won’t go down without a fight.
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“They can’t f*** with me,” he has told associates, according to ESPN.
Over 30 key figures within the NFL, including owners, executives, lawyers, and Commander employees told ESPN that many in the league are fretting over the prospects of reprisal from Snyder and have heard whispers that he has hired private investors to look into them.
“He’s backed into a corner,” a veteran owner told ESPN. “He’s behaving like a mad dog cornered.”
“[Snyder] thinks he has enough on all of them,” a former Commanders executive said to the news outlet. “He thinks he’s got stuff on Roger.”
A spokesperson for the Commanders denied the report.
“It’s hard to imagine a piece that is more categorically untrue, and is clearly part of a well-funded, two-year misinformation campaign to coerce the sale of the team, which will continue to be unsuccessful,” a Commanders spokesperson said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
Snyder has been dogged by allegations that he and his legal team deployed a “shadow investigation” to discredit and retaliate against individuals who levied accusations of bad behavior against him.
The House Oversight Committee has been investigating allegations of a toxic work environment in the Commanders. Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) claimed associates of Snyder compiled a dossier of “dirt” on individuals who alleged he engaged in bad behavior.
In addition to the “shadow investigation” allegations, Snyder has also been accused of sexually harassing a former employee in 2009, the Washington Post reported. This included demanding sex and trying to take off her clothes as well as groping her, per the report. Snyder has denied the allegations, but his team reached a $1.6 million settlement with her.
Many NFL employees who have worked with him described him as “paranoid” and fretted that action taken against him could elicit mutually assured destruction. Fear of his blackmail has made him “the most powerful owner in the NFL,” a source surmised to ESPN.
“[Snyder sees] evil lurking in every shadow and around every corner,” one associate told ESPN.
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News of Snyder’s purported belief that his “dirt” on NFL brass could shield him from discipline comes against the backdrop of the Oversight committee investigation into him. In a letter sent to the investigative panel last week, lawyers for Snyder decried the inquiry as a “hatchet job” as some speculate the inquiry is winding down.
Snyder reportedly testified before the committee for nearly 11 hours over the summer.
