Dan Snyder 'Hates' Commanders' Success After Selling Team

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt De Lima | Last updated Jan 25, 2025 3:36 PM ET

The story of the success and rejuvenation of the Washington Commanders can't be told without the broader context of where the franchise was for the 24 years preceding this season.

In 1999, Dan Snyder purchased the then-Washington Redskins from the estate of their previous owner, Jack Kent Cooke. What would come to follow was a long, unfulfilled string of disappointments as Washington made six playoff appearances and only achieved two playoff wins during Snyder's tenure.

ESPN's Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. detail Snyder's tense final days with the franchise, being forced to sell the team, his reluctance to move on, pending legal action, his life after football and Snyder's view of the Commanders' immediate success under new ownership.

New from ⁦@DVNJr⁩ and me
*How Dan Snyder views Commanders' run from afar: “He f—-ing hates it”
*How Snyder tried to blow up sale to Harris at the 11th hour
*New stuff on legal cases, life in UK, and why Jerry Jones says, “It was time for a divorce.” https://t.co/8ulEz1DnNz
— Seth Wickersham (@SethWickersham) January 25, 2025

"What's it like for Snyder," writes Wickersham and Van Natta Jr. "For years the most hated owner in sports, to watch the Commanders succeed without him? 'He f---ing hates it,' Snyder's dinner companion told the colleague."

Snyder is under "a raft of legal action, ... including expected subpoenas from federal and civil lawsuits, investigations by multiple attorneys general and a two-year-old FBI and IRS inquiry into the Commanders' finances."

Even a 3,000+ word article by ESPN only scratches the surface of Snyder's dalliances, allegations and misgivings. Ultimately, the Commanders and their fans can look forward to success.

Anchored by rookie star quarterback Jayden Daniels, Washington is on the doorstep of the Super Bowl and faces the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game on Sunday.

This is their first appearance in the NFC Championship since the 1991 season, when Washington won Super Bowl 26 against the Buffalo Bills.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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