Dan Snyder's sale negotiations with NFL complicated by serious issues

The sale of the Washington Commanders is once again in question this week.

Current owner Dan Snyder reportedly has a “serious issue” to resolve still with the team, according to the Washington Post.

According to WaPo, the lingering issues are about the potential of future liability that “threatens to complicate” the closing process on the $6 billion deal between Snyder and Josh Harris.

The potential for future liability stems from new reporting that it may have been Snyder who leaked emails that led to Jon Gruden’s removal from the Raiders head coaching job in 2021. The disgraced team owner is reportedly seeking indemnification from the other heads of the league.

“Hopefully it gets resolved,” the source told the Post. “But at this point, it’s serious.”

NFL team owners are scheduled to vote on July 20 on whether or not to accept Josh Harris as the new owner of the Commanders. In order for the organization to change hands, 24 of the 32 NFL owners must approve.

Commanders’ sale in jeopardy

Sources indicated to ESPN on Wednesday that Dan Snyder was the one who leaked the emails that caused Jon Gruden’s termination in Las Vegas. If that is the case, then the NFL owners may not want to take on liability should Gruden attempt to reach a settlement over his ousting.

Following the series of leaks, some of which included harsh criticism of Commissioner Roger Goodell, Gruden resigned from his post with the Raiders. He later filed a lawsuit against the NFL that alleged Goodell leaked the emails to the media to harm his reputation.

At the time of the email leak, the NFL was investigating Snyder and the Commanders. The league eventually found evidence of a toxic workplace in the Washington Commanders’ team office. 

Shortly after the email release, a Congressional committee began investigating Snyder as well for financial crimes and more.

The House Committee for Oversight and Reform released their investigation in 2022, finding that Snyder gave “misleading testimony” and the NFL “buried” Beth Wilkinson’s report and findings into the toxic work environment. It also found that Snyder “permitted and participated in” troubling conduct. 

ESPN said Snyder told those close to him that he’d collected damaging information he could use against Goodell and fellow NFL owners. Last fall, the owners started to publicly push Snyder out of the league.

“He was free and clear that October,” a source told ESPN in regards to Snyder’s situation in 2021. “He just had to wait out his suspension and let everything blow over. A major miscalculation. Without the leaks, he might just have survived.”

On3’s Suzanne Halliburton contributed to this report.