Forget suspending Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder. He'll never learn. The NFL needs to force Snyder to sell the team for a hefty profit and never trouble fans again. Anything less is a joke.
The Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan reported on Friday the NFL's investigation into the team's bad behavior concerning team employees and cheerleaders is nearing completion by Beth Wilkinson. The NFL denied it has received the report, but they're just playing semantics in trying to control the message.
There's no hiding anymore. No more non-disclosures or people afraid to talk. Maybe this would have been hidden in past years, but not 2021.
The Junkies reported Wilkinson presented options of either a suspension or forced sale. A suspension would do no good. The team has made sizable changes to its front office over the past year, but only because it was forced and not because it was the right thing. Snyder has owned this team for 22 years and considered it his personal playhouse. Without blockbuster media reports and people stepping forward for lawsuits, Snyder would still be playing golf with team president Bruce Allen in his office.
No, a suspension would not change Snyder's culture no matter what words are said. The team needs to be sold. Snyder can walk away with maybe $2 billion in his pocket for his 60 percent ownership after treating fans like ATMs for decades.
Snyder's only problem – once he no longer owns the team he's just another rich guy no one cares about anymore. But given many Washingtonians hate Snyder, obscurity on his yacht off the south of France wouldn't be a bad thing. He can buy a European "football" team and have fun with that.
The NFL tries very hard to avoid embarrassing acts by players, coaches and even owners. The league did very little to players concerning domestic violence until videos surfaced on TV. Then they made it a priority.
Fellow owners don't want to throw rocks cause many live in glass houses themselves. But they can't take the hit anymore with a franchise in the nation's capital. There's no benefit to Snyder staying, only further embarrassment.
After all, the fan base has completely collapsed to one of the league's cornerstone franchises. It wasn't noticeable last year when stands were emptied by the pandemic, but 2019 barely saw 10,000 Washington fans among the small crowds dominated by visiting supporters.
With a name change and new stadium coming, this is the perfect time for a new era. Wash away the past generation of ineptitude and start fresh. Have season tickets delivered by Jeff Bezos' drones. Become the Amazons or Primes, anything to cleanse the stench.
The NFL and Snyder need to do the right thing. The question is whether they have the courage to do so.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.
