Barring any new findings of involvement by Snyder, this case is unlike the one involving Jerry RichardsonGETTY IMAGES
The NFL "will seriously consider fining" Washington’s team following recent sexual harassment allegations, but the league and fellow team owners are "not expected to take formal steps to attempt to compel owner Daniel Snyder to sell the franchise," according to sources cited by Mark Maske of the WASHINGTON POST. The league also "will consider disciplinary measures against the individuals involved" after "reviewing the findings of the outside investigation initiated Thursday by the team." NFL bylaws "give the 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." Sources said that this case, "barring any new findings of involvement by Snyder, is unlike" the one involving former Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson, who "chose to sell the franchise after being accused of workplace misconduct." Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam "called on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to take action." Northam said, “Commissioner Goodell needs to step in and get to the bottom of this, and quickly." A source said that Snyder and his wife, Tanya, on Friday afternoon "sent an internal memo apologizing to affected employees and asking them for help in building a better culture for the organization" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/18). YAHOO SPORTS' Terez Paylor wrote Synder is "in charge of setting up a structure that eradicates sexual harassment." He also "is in charge of hiring people who should not engage in such behavior" and of "setting the tone of the organization." And in "all regards, the story essentially detailed how Snyder has fallen short" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/17).
MORE NEEDED FROM NFL? The team on Friday announced that it will conduct an investigation into the allegations, but in N.Y., Mike Lupica wrote the NFL "should conduct its own investigation." Goodell would then have to be "as much of a tough guy disciplining an owner as he is disciplining his players when they behave in a way that is deemed contrary to the league’s values." Lupica: "Now we see what Roger Goodell does about this. Now we see what kind of penalty Snyder will pay. ... If Goodell can't kick Snyder out of his league for good, he ought to suspend him for a year" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/19). The L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke said the NFL should force Washington "to release anybody from their NDAs so everyone can talk, everyone can testify, so they can get to the bottom of this." The NFL also needs to "investigate the possibility" of stripping the team from Snyder. ESPN's Sarah Spain agreed that league officials "certainly have to consider" taking the team from Snyder. However, she acknowledged there may not be "one major thing that they would be able to use to forcibly remove him from the position" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 7/17).
HIDING FROM PUBLIC VIEW: ESPN's Michael Wilbon said he does not "believe a word" of the statement Snyder issued Friday. He rhetorically asked, "Snyder doesn't publicly have to be accountable for anything? He doesn't even sit before anyone and take a question. He doesn't address personally his constituents, the people who support him and his patrons." Wilbon: "At what point is there momentum within the NFL ranks among owners and/or league executives to say, 'You're bad for business?'" ("PTI," ESPN, 7/17). NBCSPORTS.com's Peter King writes Snyder "has no business owning an NFL team," as he "avoids accountability at every turn." King: "With his franchise a five-alarm blaze, Snyder did what he always does: He hid. An accountability press conference? No chance. Not his style, taking responsibility. He issued a four-sentence statement, saying he was committed to setting a new culture" (NBCSPORTS.com, 7/20). YAHOO SPORTS' Terez Paylor wrote while Snyder "was not the explicit target of any of the allegations in the story, the fact is that all this ... happened on his watch" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/18).
STRUCTURAL CHANGES NEEDED: In Boston, Ben Volin wrote one of the most "eye-opening details of the Post report was that Washington had just one full-time human resources staffer for an organization with 220 employees, and that there was never any realistic opportunity to report sexual harassment." That is an "embarrassing organizational structure and lack of oversight for a company as powerful and profitable as the Washington football team." Moving forward, the NFL "must bring uniformity to HR departments and sexual harassment policies." The league also "must require each team to have a minimum level of staffing in its HR department." The NFL "must have uniform sexual harassment education for every league employee, and must codify the processes for reporting sexual harassment" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/19).
