Washington Commanders' fans can rejoice as, per multiple media outlets, it has been announced that Dan Snyder has reached an agreement in principle to sell the Washington Commanders to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris. The investment group, consisting of Mitchell Rales and Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson amongst others, submitted a $6 billion bid on the franchise, making it the biggest deal in all of the four major American sports leagues, surpassing the selling of the Denver Broncos to the Walton-Penner ($4.65 billion) last August.
And unless you have been under a rock, it is pretty evident why Dan Snyder sold the team.
The Dan Snyder Era Ends for the Commanders
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Dan Snyder has found himself, in more ways than one, on the wrong end of several legal allegations. Snyder has been accused of sexual misconduct in the workplace on multiple occasions. In 2009, a former team employee accused Snyder of asking her for sex, groping her, and attempting to remove her clothes on a private area of one of the team's private planes while returning from a work trip to Las Vegas. But this was just one of over 40 cases of both men and women who had accused Snyder of sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination since 2006. And in 2021, after an investigation concluded and deemed Snyder responsible for sexual harassment and other forms of work misconduct, Snyder stepped down as head of the day-to-day operations of the team.
But the troubles did not stop there as Snyder and the Commanders were accused of "financial wrongdoings". In a letter sent to Federal Trade Commission, Dan Snyder and the team were said to "have engaged in a troubling, long-running, and potentially unlawful pattern of financial conduct that victimized thousands of team fans and the National Football League." This included Alleged misappropriation of funds and underreported ticket sales.
All of this added to the league and the other 31 owners considering a forced sale of the Commanders. This upset Snyder, saying that he had "dirt" on the several owners in the league and was ready to release everything, privately saying "They can't f—- with me."
It is a lot of trouble and headache for a franchise that has experienced plenty of memorable misfortunes on and off the field.
A New Dawn in Washington
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But with the selling of the team, the Washington Commanders enter a new era in the franchise and have a fresh start on everything. It is time for them to change the culture that was once toxic and provide one that is not only inviting to the players but also to those who work in and around the front office of the franchise. Maybe a new stadium is on the horizon and maybe another rebranding is on the vision board, but regardless of what the future holds, the team is in better hands and back in a respectable state.
