Dan Snyder, NFL facing more scrutiny after latest ESPN report

Every day seems to bring a fresh controversy involving Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder. Per a Tuesday report by ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr., Snyder took out a $55 million line of credit without the approval of the team's three minority partners.

Van Natta Jr. wrote the loan is "a primary focus of federal prosecutors in Virginia who are investigating allegations of financial misconduct by Snyder and the Washington Commanders."

Snyder received the loan in 2018 despite not receiving approval from the organization's board of directors, which ESPN noted is a violation of the team's shareholder agreement.

When the minority partners spoke with an NFL arbitrator about the loan, the league moved to dissolve the arbitration and instead had commissioner Roger Goodell mediate a sale of the minority owners' stakes in the team, with Snyder paying them $875 million.

A source for ESPN was critical of the league office's decision to keep the situation a secret.

"The league had no interest in finding out what happened," the source said. "They buried it and didn't investigate it and covered it up." 

ESPN confirmed in its report that Goodell's signature was seen on an agreement that confirmed the $55 million line of credit.

During mediation, the minority partners implored Goodell to look into the loan, but the commissioner and NFL general counsel Jeffrey Pash refused.

"Goodell and Pash were not interested in talking about those allegations," according to an ESPN source.

The article also mentioned that in 2018, minority-stakes owner Frederick W. Smith was considering selling his share of the team to Alan Kestenbaum. Snyder blocked the move, arguing the NFL wouldn't allow Kestenbaum into its ranks. The next year, Kestenbaum joined the Falcons as a minority owner.

It's speculated Snyder, who supposedly is interested in selling the team, blocked the move to avoid people digging into Commanders finances.

Per the report, Snyder also paid himself $4.5 million after he had the team's logo put on the side of a private jet. He reportedly rationalized the payment as being "an advertising fee."

The level of corruption within the organization would be shocking if it wasn't so commonplace. Goodell's role as revealed in the ESPN report is just as troubling. The commissioner made a name for himself as a strict disciplinarian in regard to player misconduct, but he seems to go lenient on Snyder (and, some would argue, on the misbehavior of owners in general).

Snyder is a disaster for the NFL, and the sooner he's booted from the league, the better it will be for the sport. Goodell's authoritarian style, meanwhile, is entirely disingenuous with his constant coddling of Snyder. 

Instead of "protecting the shield," Goodell has used the shield as protection for an unsuccessful owner. With all the hits Snyder's taken, it can't be long until the shield cracks.