Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder sent a letter to his fellow NFL owners denying allegations that he launched investigations into them and hinted that he might sue ESPN for making the allegation.
Snyder has been under investigation for years by the NFL and even Congress at this point, but last week new allegations were published by ESPN, which claimed that Snyder hired private investigators to look into all the other NFL owners as well as league chief Roger Goddell, apparently looking for dirt on them.
ESPN reported this claim last Thursday and cited “unnamed sources” as proof.
Snyder, though, issued a strong denial of the ESPN claim in his letter to the league and even hinted he may sue the cable sports network over the accusation, according to Pro Football Talk.
Team co-owner Dan Snyder speaks during the announcement of the Washington Football Team’s name change to the Washington Commanders at FedExField on February 02, 2022, in Landover, Maryland. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
“I would like to address a recent ESPN article that contains false and malicious statements about the Washington Commanders, our management team, and me and my family,” Snyder reportedly said in his letter.
“The words ‘false and malicious’ aren’t accidental; they signal a potential defamation claim,” Pro Football Talk noted.
“There is one allegation in the ESPN article that I feel it is important to address immediately,” Snyder added. “The article cites unnamed sources who said: ‘they’ve been told that Snyder instructed his law firms to hire private investigators to look into other owners’ and Commissioner Goodell. That is patently false and intended to erode the trust and goodwill between owners that I take quite seriously. I have never instructed or authorized my lawyers to hire any private investigator on my behalf for any such purpose. And I never would.”
Redskins owner Dan Snyder introduces Ron Rivera as the Washington Redskins new head coach at a Redskins Park press conference in Ashburn, VA, on January 2, 2020. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Snyder concluded with an appeal to his fellow owners: “While we are all fierce competitors on the field, we are a part of this organization because we love football, our teams and our fans. Having the privilege to own a franchise in America’s sport is something I know none of us take for granted. Falsehoods and lies being spread about any of our organizations hurts our League, our players and our fans, and we simply cannot let them go unchallenged.”
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