While both Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta both have interest in buying the Washington Commanders from Daniel Snyder, their potential bidding war may not begin unless the 30 other NFL owners vote to remove Snyder beforehand. The embattled Snyder and his legal team have reportedly requested other NFL owners and the league “indemnify him against future legal liability and costs” if he moves forward with selling the Commanders, according to The Washington Post.
Snyder has reportedly threatened to sue the NFL and its owners if his request of indemnification isn’t granted, leading to talks of simply voting him out of his ownership per anonymous source who spoke to The Washington Post. His demands have been labeled “ridiculous” and “absurd” by those sources. If Snyder refuses to sell, the other NFL owners would “definitely” move closer to voting Snyder out of his ownership, something that would have to be done by three-fourths of the league’s owners.
On top of looking to absolve himself of any legal or financial issues stemming from his ownership, Snyder is additionally looking for the NFL to keep the results of the ongoing investigation into himself and the team’s workplace environment confidential. This request flies in the face of the NFL’s public statement that attorney Mary Jo White’s investigation findings will be made public. According to the Washington Post’s sources, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, one of the NFL’s most influential owners, is trying to negotiate a peace agreement where Snyder would sell the Commanders and exit the league without any further issues. Jones has stood up for Snyder during past controversies.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was reportedly upset with Snyder’s indemnification demand, according to The Washington Post. The league and owners are willing to go to court with Snyder if they have to, per their source, but they would like for Jones to convince Snyder to accept a record-breaking sale of his team and depart the NFL without a legal battle. Owners reportedly think any vote they might undergo to remove Snyder would stand in court, according the Post’s source.
A vote to remove an owner has never occurred. Former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson sold the franchise to David Tepper in 2018 after an NFL investigation of allegations into workplace misconduct. That investigation, also led by White, concluded there was no information to discredit the claims made against Richardson. The league fined Richardson $2.75 million.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said in October that “there’s merit to remove him [Snyder] as owner of [the Commanders].” The current investigation of Snyder and the Commanders’ workplace environment began in February of 2022 after a former cheerleader and marketing manager said Snyder harassed her at a team dinner by “putting his hand on her thigh and pressing her toward his limo.” Snyder denied the allegation, calling it “outright lies.”
Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris is also interested in buying the Washington Commanders in addition to Bezos and Fertitta. The Commanders, the Dallas Cowboys, and the NFL declined to comment on The Washington Post’s reporting on Monday.
