The “Snyder era” at the Washington Commanders has come to an end. Shortly after the sale of the franchise, the ex-owner was ordered to pay a record fine of 60 million US dollars. An independent investigation had confirmed allegations of sexual harassment, among other things.

More bad news for Dan Snyder. After the sale of the Washington Commanders was made official, the NFL sentenced the ex-owner to a fine of 60 million US dollars. The reason? An independent investigation had revealed, among other things, that the 58-year-old had sexually harassed a female employee. The NFL confirmed the fine in a statement.

Mary Jo White, the lawyer who led the investigation, criticised Snyder’s lack of cooperation in a statement she made to the rest of the team owners.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league was satisfied with the results. The 64-year-old added that these speak for themselves.

NFL: Ex-Owner Snyder tried to hide money

White’s investigation says Snyder sexually harassed Tiffani Johnston during a roundtable meeting with members of the “House Oversight Committee” and later tried to force her into his limo. Snyder himself vehemently denied the allegations.

However, the investigations and especially the testimonies of the 44 former staff members interviewed are said to have told a different story. Numerous “high-ranking officials” had refused to be interviewed.

Moreover, White’s investigation confirmed the allegations that Commanders shielded at least eleven million US dollars in revenue from the league. This money, according to NFL rules, should have been shared with the league. However, it is unclear whether Snyder was actively involved in this. White stated, however, that he was “aware of some efforts to minimise revenue sharing”.

Snyder had systematically pressured staff to minimise costs and “improve the financial performance of the club”. An ex-employee of the Commanders is reported to have testified that the announcement was to “maximise turnover, break the rules if you have to” and “do as much as you can but don’t get caught”.

The “toxic working environment” already caused a stir in June 2021. At the time, the franchise was fined ten million US dollars as a result.

Washington Commanders: Will everything be better now?

But it wasn’t just behind the scenes that the “Snyder era” was an inglorious one; on the field, too, the Commanders (still the Washington Redskins until 2020) made negative headlines for the most part.

In 24 seasons under Snyder, the franchise reached the playoffs only six times, won only two games in the postseason, wore out a total of ten head coaches and had an incredible 27 different starting quarterbacks. In addition, the team won less than half of its games. A disastrous record.

Without Snyder, the team is now to be led into a more successful and scandal-free future. The new owner is Josh Harris. He is no stranger to US sport. Through his company “Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment” he already owns the NBA franchise Philadelphia 76ers as well as the New Jersey Devils from the NHL.