An investigator may recommend that the NFL force Daniel Snyder to sell the Washington Football Team in the aftermath of a sexual harassment scandal.
The team hired Beth Wilkinson to conduct a review of the team’s culture and employee standards and she is expected to give the NFL multiple disciplinary options for Washington and Snyder. The first option she will recommend is “forc[ing] the owner to divest his ownership of the team,” according to 106.7 The Fan’s The Sports Junkies, who obtained documents related to the investigation.
The @JunksRadio have obtained information from the 130+ page of the NFL investigation into the Washington Football Team – the top recommendation is “force the owner to divest his ownership of the team” per @EBJunkies.
Wow. This is major.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) March 5, 2021
If the NFL does not force Snyder to sell, it could also “suspend the owner for a significant period to allow the club time to repair its infrastructure and culture,” according to the report.
An NFL spokesman claimed that the league has not seen any report about Wilkinson’s investigation, since the investigation remains ongoing.
“This is absolutely false. We have received no report as the review remains ongoing”
This is a statement from the NFL on @JunksRadio report this morning.
— Scott Abraham (@ScottABC7) March 5, 2021
Wilkinson began investigating after 15 female employees accused the Washington Football Team of creating an atmosphere in which they were subject to sexual harassment. Another employee received a $1.6 million settlement in 2009 after accusing Snyder of sexual misconduct. (RELATED: Mark Cuban Tells Dan Snyder To ‘Accept The Mistakes’ Made After Redskins Hit With Sexual Harassment Claims)
The NFL was not considering forcing Snyder to sell the Washington Football Team after the sexual harassment scandal broke, according to a July 2020 report. The league was instead expected to fine him.
However, Snyder “was trying to persuade or instruct other employees not to talk to Wilkinson’s firm about what they were investigating… And once she reported back to [commissioner Roger] Goodell that this was happening, that’s why she’s recommending he needs to go, because of the coverup,” Eric Bishop of the Sports Junkies reported.
If Snyder is forced to sell the team, Washington Post owner and Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos could step in to purchase Washington. Court documents revealed that his attorneys recently spoke to a sports investing firm about purchasing a minority stake in the team.