Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder
Daniel Snyder is poised to purchase the remaining 40.5% of the Washington Football Team, which would give him full control of the NFL franchise, according to reporting by The New York Times on Wednesday.
The Ashburn-based NFL’s team owners are expected to approve a waiver next week that would allow Snyder to take on an additional $450 million in debt to pay the minority co-owners $875 million for their holdings. Snyder has been feuding with co-owners Dwight Schar, Robert Rothman and Frederick Smith, who bought into the team in 2003 but tried to sell their stakes last year, the Times reports. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, an NFL spokesman said the sale and the league’s investigation into sexual harassment and misconduct are “two separate matters,” and that an investigation by attorney Beth Wilkinson is continuing.
Earlier this month, a Washington, D.C.-based sports radio show, “The Sports Junkies,” reported that a leaked portion of Wilkinson’s report recommends that Snyder divest his 60% ownership of the team, or be suspended for six months. The Ashburn-based team has been at the center of controversy since last year over reports in The Washington Post of lewd videos taken of the team’s cheerleaders without their knowledge, which were later screened for team executives.
