Yahoo Sports Commanders' success reportedly not sitting well with former owner Daniel Snyder: 'He f***ing hates it'
Snyder lives in London now, nearly two years after selling the franchise for $6.05 billion to Josh Harris
The Washington Commanders are a win away from reaching the Super Bowl and with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels leading the way, the franchise is going through a rebirth.
New ownership, a potential franchise quarterback and a revitalized fan base defines the current state of the Commanders. It wasn't that way for a long time under Daniel Snyder, and the team's 2024 success, coupled with the way Snyder was ejected from the NFL, has reportedly led to hurt feelings from the former owner.
An ESPN story from Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. reports a longtime associate of Snyder attended a dinner with the former Washington owner in the fall and had one takeaway when it comes to the Commanders' success this season.
"He f***ing hates it," the associate reportedly told a colleague.
Snyder bought the team in 1999 when the franchise was known as the Redskins. The lack of on-field success — six playoff appearances in 24 years — coupled with a dysfunctional and toxic workplace off the field ultimately led to the team's 2023 sale to Josh Harris.
It was a transaction that Snyder tried to derail, Wickersham and Van Natta report. While still negotiating with Harris, Snyder was contemplating ways to retain the franchise.
One thought Snyder reportedly had was to announce that his behavior over the years was due to alcohol, but that he had given up drinking and was a changed man. The $6 billion minimum price tag was also purposefully set knowing that only a limited number of parties could afford it. Harris and his group paid $6.05 billion.
Once the process reached closing, Snyder reportedly refused to share his bank information to allow Harris to wire the money. After friends, including former Washington head coach Joe Gibbs, and family members pressed him to let go of the team, he finally relented late in the night, hours before an event was scheduled welcoming the Harris group as new owners.
Minutes after NFL team owners unanimously approved Harris' purchase, the league released a 23-page report containing the findings of Mary Jo White, the attorney tasked with investigating sexual harassment and financial impropriety allegations against Snyder.
The conclusions of the report would be devastating for a man still in the NFL. It corroborated serious harassment allegations from former Commanders employee Tiffani Johnston and claimed the club had cooked its books to avoid sharing money with the NFL.
In response to the investigation, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined Snyder $60 million — a fine that Snyder initially refused to pay but was ultimately made part of the ownership transaction.
Snyder, now 60, lives in London with numerous legal issues still pending in the U.S. He reportedly was interested in buying part of a Premier League soccer team, but other sources said that American football is his only interest.
"He isn't a fan of other sports," a source told ESPN. "He's a fan of the [Commanders]. That was the biggest thing."
