NFL Fines Daniel Snyder $60 Million On Same Day Sale Of Commanders Officially Approved
Daniel Snyder was a terrible NFL owner of the Washington Commanders and an NFL investigation, on the heels of a Congressional investigation, has found he was not a very good person, either.
But he is great at making money.
A lot of it.
The NFL on Thursday released the findings of its Mary Jo White investigation of Snyder and the Commanders. That stems from allegations of the club fostering a toxic workplace environment and allegations of financial misconduct raised during the Congressional committee hearings.
And the White investigation basically finds the allegations of workplace and financial misconduct prove true.
NFL's Roger Goodell Addresses Findings
"The conduct substantiated in Ms. White's findings has no place in the NFL," said commissioner Roger Goodell. “We strive for workplaces that are safe, respectful and professional. What Ms. (Tiffani) Johnston experienced is inappropriate and contrary to the NFL's values."
So the NFL on Thursday fined Snyder $60 million in resolution of White's findings and all outstanding matters. This on the same day Snyder's sale of the Commanders to Josh Harris was approved in stunning manner.
Harris and his partner are paying Snyder $6.05 billion for the club. And Snyder is paying the NFL $60 million in fines. So that $50 million that represents the $.05 to the $6 billion feels a lot like new owner Josh Harris paid most of Snyder's fine.
Mamas, raise your babies to be NFL team owners!
Did Daniel Snyder Get Off Light?
Snyder's fine is approximately 1/100th of his take from the sale of the team to the NFL after two dozen seasons of pain an anguish.
And bad publicity.
And, of course, the facts of the investigation. Specific to those:
The investigation found allegations from former club marketing and events coordinator Tiffani Johnston that she was sexually harassed were largely true. Those allegations were made by Johnston during congressional hearings.
NFL Investigation Findings
Specifically, the investigation found:
"Ms. Johnston’s allegation that Mr. Snyder, without Ms. Johnston’s consent, put his hand
on her thigh under a restaurant table at a work-related dinner is sustained."
Bad.
"Ms. Johnston’s allegation that Mr. Snyder pushed her towards the back seat of his car in
an effort to have her join him after the dinner is sustained."
Bad.
The investigation also sustains the allegation that a former senior lclub executive improperly took and viewed an unedited calendar photograph of Johnston. The evidence for that was insufficient to show that Snyder was involved in this incident.
Former Commanders vice president Jason Friedman made revenue sharing allegations during congressional hearings. He alleged the Commanders intentionally shielded and withheld an amount of shareable NFL revenues in violation of NFL policies, including forfeited security deposits from fans.
That allegation is sustained in the investigation.
"Certain former senior executives had knowledge of and directed this conduct," according to the investigation.
Commanders Withheld Revenues From NFL
The investigation specifically identified approximately $11 million in revenues (including those in the Friedman allegations) that the Commanders appeared to have improperly shielded from sharing, to the extent required by NFL policies.
The investigation also identifies additional ticket, parking, license, and other revenues were transferred from an account that held shareable football-related revenues into non-shareable accounts.
The total amount of additional improperly shielded revenues that might have occurred through these transfers could not be determined on the basis of the evidence available to the investigators.
Team co-owners Dan and Tanya Snyder pose for a photo with former team members and during the announcement of the Washington Football Team's name change to the Washington Commanders at FedExField on February 02, 2022 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Daniel Snyder Aware Of Commanders Violation
The investigation neither found, nor ruled out, that Snyder directed or personally participated in the improper shielding of revenues from sharing to the extent required by NFL policies.
"At a minimum, he was aware of certain efforts to minimize revenue sharing, at least some of which were later found to be in violation of the NFL rules. He also set a tone at the top that pressured employees to cut costs and improve the financial performance of the club," the report reads.
The point of all this is Snyder was, well, draw your own moral conclusions.
But this is undeniable: He had great representation in hammering out a deal to pay the NFL $60 million so everyone could call the matter closed.
And that glows in neon on a day he officially closed on the sale of his team for $6.05 billion.