While the league may consider fining Washington owner Dan Snyder for presiding over a toxic workplace culture, that appears to be the extent of any possible punishment.
According to Mark Maske of the Washington Post, the league will consider a fine and punishments against the individuals involved in allegations of workplace misconduct, but other owners aren’t likely to try to compel Snyder to sell the team. The report outlined charges of sexual harrasment by 15 female employees of the team.
Former Panthers owner Jerry Richardson voluntarily put his team up for sale in 2018, shortly after allegations were made against him in a Sports Illustrated investigation.
And while Snyder may be criticized for allowing a certain culture to exist, he wasn’t singled out in the Post report beyond allegedly mocking a male executive for being a former cheerleader and asking him to do cartwheels in a meeting.
The fact that the league is deferring to the outside lawyer Snyder hired to investigate the team was a good sign the league was not prepared to drop the hammer on the Washington owner.
The league’s bylaws would allow owners the right to force a sale, but the fact Snyder wasn’t personally involved in the most serious allegations would likely prevent that.
“The behavior described in yesterday’s Washington Post article has no place in our franchise or society,” Snyder said in his statement about the report. “This story has strengthened my commitment to setting a new culture and standard for our team, a process that began with the hiring of coach [Ron] Rivera earlier this year.”