NFL Owners Unanimously End Dan Snyder Era

UPDATE Jul 20, 2023 4:50 PM CDT

The NFL enthusiastically welcomed a new owner of the Washington Commanders on Thursday, bringing Dan Synder's 24-year custodianship of the storied franchise to a close. The owners voted unanimously to approve the $6.05 billion sale of the team to a group led by Josh Harris, Yahoo Sports reports. Snyder had resisted selling the team, even as pressure increased and investigations dragged on. The league fined Snyder one more time on his way out the door, assessing a $60 million penalty after an investigation found that his team kept revenue it was supposed to share with other franchises and that Snyder sexually harassed a former employee, per the Washington Post. "Josh will be a great addition to the NFL," Commissioner Roger Goodell said.

Apr 13, 2023 2:38 PM CDT

Dan and Tanya Snyder have reached a rough agreement to sell the Washington Commanders for $6 billion, ending his scandal-ridden, much-investigated ownership of the storied NFL franchise. The buyer is a group led by Josh Harris, an owner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils, the New York Times reports. It includes billionaire Mitchell Rales and a group of limited partners including NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. The deal would require the approval of the NFL's finance committee and three-fourths of the 31 other team owners, which could happen by the end of May.

The amount would be the most ever paid for a team, topping last year's $4.65 billion for the Denver Broncos, per CBS Sports. Snyder paid $800 million for his team in 1999. At the time, Snyder called the buy "the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me," reports Axios. A sale would take Snyder out of the league before other owners kick him out—which they've been considering.

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The NFL fined the team $10 million in 2021 after a Washington Post investigation uncovered accusations by dozens of female employees of sexual harassment. The league was so secretive about its findings in the case that a congressional committee stepped in. Federal prosecutors investigated allegations of financial wrongdoing, later settling with the team. Snyder resisted pressure to change the team's name for years, and he's been unable to get a new stadium built to replace the crumbling FedEx Field. The owner of the Indianapolis Colts said last year that Snyder "needs to be removed." (Even Snyder's partners wanted him to sell.)