The biggest day of the NFL year — Super Bowl Sunday — wouldn’t be complete without news on Washington owner Daniel Snyder and the ongoing controversy surrounding the investigation into the team’s toxic workplace culture.
To be fair, this is old news. Early last March, the “Sports Junkies” from 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., had received information that one of the recommendations from Beth Wilkinson was for Snyder to sell the team.
Here’s what Jason Bishop of the “Junkies” said, per Audacy.com:
On Friday morning, we reported on excerpts of a report prepared by the NFL’s independent investigator into the Washington Football Team, Beth Wilkinson. We believed, based on information provided to us by our source, that the report was final and had been delivered to the NFL League Office. The League has denied receiving a final report, however, both in a general statement and in response to specific questions from us. Based on those unequivocal denials, we now believe that our source was mistaken and that the excerpts of the report that were shared with us have not yet been sent to the NFL. We do believe in the authenticity of the documents we reviewed, and that they are from the Wilkinson investigation, but we are unable to confirm that the report was a final draft or that it had been delivered to the League Office. As soon as we are able to report anything further on this, we will let you know – both as to what occurred in our Friday report and regarding the Wilkinson investigation generally.
The statement above was from Bishop after the “Junkies” original statement just days before, where they had received information that the NFL should “force the owner to divest his ownership of the team.”
Another option, per the “Junkies” at the time, was “suspend the owner for a significant period to allow the club time to repair its infrastructure and culture.”
As we know, the organization would receive a fine — not Snyder personally — and he would step away from day-to-day operations for a time, leading his wife and co-owner, Tanya Snyder, to assume a more significant role.
But many questioned, was that really punishment?
Back to “The Junkies” report from last March. At the time, many didn’t take the information seriously, perhaps because the “Junkies” were not actual reporters. But, the popular longtime radio show hosts have broken several stories over the years.
Now, that report has received newfound attention. Here’s what Ben Standig of The Athletic tweeted Sunday.
“I’m told that, as reported at the time by 106.7 The Fan after the station obtained a copy of a document that was never actually submitted to the NFL…the report would have recommended that owner Daniel Snyder be forced to sell the team.” https://t.co/1HwlFv9VLw
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) February 13, 2022
The perpetually unhappy Mike Florio has also discussed that previous report this week, noting that if the NFL brings Wilkinson back in for their investigation into the latest claims by former team employee Tiffani Johnston, it could spell bad news for Snyder.
Washington fans have clamored for Snyder to sell the team for years, but most felt hopeless. Fans walked away, quit watching on television and stopped going to games.
While there is still a long way to go before something like this happens, the smoke seems real. Are the other 31 NFL owners prepared for what Snyder may reveal if they collectively force him out?