As the NFL prepares to meet in Arizona for their annual spring meeting, there will be no effort in the coming days to force Commanders owner Daniel Snyder out.
According to the Washington Post, the league’s owners will pause any consideration of voting to remove Snyder, giving the reality that Snyder is moving toward selling the team.
As PFT has reported, the word being used within the building regarding a potential sale of the team is “imminent.” The owners apparently are willing to let things play out.
It may not be simple, given that Snyder has been trying to get the league and the other teams to provide Snyder with a broad grant of indemnity regarding potential liabilities — possibly including those arising directly from the activities of the Commanders.
“The vote-out will happen if he insists on being indemnified,” a source with direct knowledge of the owners’ views told the Post. “If the deal [to sell the team] is just like Denver, that’s fine. But if he expects special treatment, that leads to trouble. The biggest thing that will lead to a vote is if he says, ‘Indemnify me.’ That’s the issue.”
The potential hammer comes from the pending Mary Jo White investigation, a card the NFL will quite possibly play only if absolutely necessary. If Snyder sells, chances are her investigation will be suspended as moot. If he drags his feet for too long, the owners may use her findings as the final straw for conjuring 24 or more votes to get rid of him.
Regardless, the sale process is moving forward. If, as it appears, everything is being kept secret, it could happen at any time.