There Was Reportedly One Main Dan Snyder–Related Issue Holding Up Commanders Sale

Commanders owner Dan Snyder and his legal team are lobbying the NFL to limit the release of a report about sexual misconduct allegations and financial improprieties against him, according to a Friday report from ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham.

Sources told ESPN that one of Snyder’s main motivations for holding up the release of the findings, beyond being wary of the reporting against him, was to hold up the sale of the team to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris.

“It’s the main remaining issue,” an unnamed source told Van Natta and Wickersham, referring to the unreleased report’s effect on a potential sale of the franchise.

Attorney Mary Jo White was hired by the NFL in February 2022 to conduct an independent investigation into Snyder and the Commanders’ franchise. White is nearing the completion of her investigation, which has only accelerated conversations behind the scenes with Snyder’s lawyers and NFL representation over the release of her findings.

Pressure has been on the longtime Commanders owner to sell the franchise due to reports of multiple transgressions over the last few years. While Snyder tries a last-ditch effort to kill White’s inquiry into a multitude of issues surrounding the owner, his support among owners across the league has “dwindled to zero” according to ESPN.

“His odds of burying the report are the same as his odds of trading for Patrick Mahomes. He can try to not sell the team, but that isn’t a real option,” sources told Van Natta and Wickersham.

Additionally, there has been some optimism in league circles that parts of the sale process for the Commanders could be tentatively approved as soon as at the spring meetings later this month. 

Others in league circles believe the sale could take a bit longer as members of Harris’s ownership group continue to be vetted by the NFL.