Is the NFL moving closer to removing Dan Snyder?
WASHINGTON - Indianapolis Colts’ Owner, Jim Irsay, has shared his disapproval of NFL Commander’s owner, Daniel Snyder.
Irsay stated to reporters at the NFL's Fall League Meeting Tuesday night that "there is merit to remove him as owner" and that "we have to look at all the evidence moving forward". Irsay went on to state that "it is greatly concerning to me the things that have occurred over the past 20 years".
Snyder says he will not sell the team.
The Commanders called Irsay's comments unfortunate, and encouraged all the facts of the various investigations to come to light, emphasizing the change in the team’s workplace culture.
Snyder also wrote a letter to owners outright denying an ESPN report last week that claimed he told close associates he was gathering dirt on them and the commissioner.
"That is patently false and intended to erode the trust and goodwill between owners that I take quite seriously. I have never hired any private investigator to look into any owner or the Commissioner," Snyder said in a statement.
Ana Nunez is a former team employee who was subjected to a hostile work environment. She and other former employees remain outspoken, believing the Snyders have to be removed as the ultimate form of accountability.
Nunez says that to hear another owner signal a willingness to vote to remove the Snyders was re-affirming but says she looks forward to seeing the results of some of the pending investigations.
"To finally hear one of the owners say those exact words about removal, because last year it was about the investigation being released in the report, which is what we still want, of course, the transparency and accountability. But there’s a lot of investigations that are coming to an end, so we hope, kind of with the timing, that everything adds up, and hopefully the removal of the Snyders," Nunez said.
Amy Dash is a sports law expert with "Audacy" radio network. Dash says she heard Irsay’s comments not as an automatic vote to remove, but as a commitment to hearing what the various investigations bear out. Irsay specifically mentioned protecting the league.
Dash thinks the current league investigation into the team, led by attorney Mary Jo White, will guide owners most to their decisions regarding the vote.
"I think in terms of the owners, deciding whether or not to vote Daniel Snyder out, they’re going to rely on the Mary Jo White investigation and those findings, because that was conducted by the league. And then, of course, if anything happens with the DC attorney general or with congress outside, that could push their hands forward as well," Dash said.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said he had no update on the timing of when we might expect to see the NFL’s investigation, the findings of which will be made public.