Embattled Washington soccer owner Dan Snyder is not expected to lose control of his team after 15 former employees, and two journalists, said they were sexually harassed during their time at the organization.
While the NFL will consider fining the soccer team and taking action against the defendants, the Washington Post reported that the league and its fellow owners are unlikely to attempt to force Snyder to sell the club he has owned since 1999.
Snyder, 55, was not charged with sexual harassment, although the report painted a picture of a toxic culture within the organization that may have perpetuated the alleged misconduct.
In a statement Friday, Snyder said the Washington Post report “strengthened my commitment to establishing a new culture and standards for our team, a process that began with the hiring of the coach. [Ron] Rivera ”during the low season.
NFL statutes allow league and team owners “the right to attempt to force the sale of a team if an owner is deemed to have engaged in conduct detrimental to the welfare of the league,” according to the Washington Post. .
League and team owners may have taken that step three years ago against then-Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, who at the time had been the target of sexual harassment charges and the use of racial slur against an employee. of the team.
But Richardson abruptly announced that he would sell the team after a Sports Illustrated report featuring the allegations, financial settlements, and confidentiality agreements.
The NFL then fined Richardson $ 2.75 million after conducting an investigation.
Snyder has given no indication that he would sell his team.
The NFL called Washington’s allegations “troubling.” Before taking any potential action, the league said it will review the findings of an attorney hired by a team called by Snyder to investigate the club’s culture.
The allegations related to the Washington soccer team, which ran from 2006 to 2019, were made against Larry Michael, the team’s former senior vice president of content and play-by-play radio broadcaster; Alex Santos, the former director of professional personnel; Richard Mann II, the former assistant director of professional staff; Dennis Greene, the former president of business operations; and Mitch Gershman, the former chief operating officer.
Michael retired Wednesday, a day before the report was released, while Santos and Mann were fired last weekend.
The explosive Washington Post came immediately after Snyder agreed to change the team’s nickname that many considered racist, a decision made only after facing financial pressure from the team’s sponsors.
Minority team partners including Frederick W. Smith, Dwight Schar, and Robert Rothman are also in the process of selling their combined 40 percent stake in the team.
On the field, Washington has had just two playoff victories under Snyder.
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