in Washington. It was Tuesday of this week that
the commissioner said in Shireen, was there to witness it that
Daniel Snyder. The owner, the Commander's still not in
day-to-day control of the team
that he owns and at some point Goodell and Snyder will talk
about it and it's been nearly nine months and who knows when
they'll talk about it, who knows? Even if they need to
talk about it because
the Washington times has since reported.
The Dan Snyder's back
that, he's resumed his
day-to-day role with the team
that he's been involved in big decisions like the trade for
Carson Wentz, so I don't know what's going on here and
I asked the league for comment and the comment that I got was
along the
lines that we really have anything to add to what Roger
said on Tuesday.
I understand that. But you see the report that came out after
Tuesday.
Doesn't really mesh
with what Roger said. So either the report is wrong.
Or Rogers wrong.
Something's not right. And that's why we asked the league
and I think it's a fair question. I don't really have
anything to add isn't really an answer Shireen.
No, it's really not Mike and, you know, he's remains on four
committees at the NFL and I assume he wasn't at the owners
meetings. I never saw him and I saw most of the owners so
I assume he wasn't there.
The, my question would be if he's truly back in the day to
day operations. Did he ever leave and And if he really did
leave, how long did he leave? We know how they're after
the trade for Carson Wentz. Said, on the record.
He had talked to the Snyder's portal
about the decision to trade for Carson Wentz. So he has been
involved in the organization, to some extent. I'm just
curious. Did he ever leave and if so, how long did he leave
for Mike?
Well, and that's an excellent point and it has been a very
confusing situation from the get-go. I think it is. Certain
level. The NFL is afraid of it. I really do. He seems
everybody.
He doesn't want to get into a big fight.
They don't want to get into a big fight with him. He brings
the fight wherever he goes. Peter King made a great Point
earlier today at what point if you're Daniel Snyder, do you
just say
Life's too short for this crap? I'm paraphrasing but
you're under siege from every direction. Your fans, hate
your, your team's not very good. Your partner's really
don't want to do business with you anymore. What keeps you
going? When the walls of completely closed in on you and
all you?
Have is your wife and your kids and maybe your dog if you have
one
and that's it. At, what point do you say?
I really don't need this. I don't need money.
I don't need the headache.
I can just go back to enjoying my life without this extra
stress. It really is unfortunate that his passion
for the franchise,
Drew him into it.
And as a result, and he only has himself to blame.
But the thing that he loved is now made him miserable or at
least he should be miserable. Don't want him to be miserable.
But how could you not be miserable?
Well, that's the thing Mike. The answer would love for him
to go quietly in the night sort of like Jerry Richardson did
but it just doesn't seem like that's going to happen. This
just seems like a drama and it is a drama of Daniel Snyder's
making as you said,
but it seems like a drama that's going to end very badly
for the antagonist. Who is Daniel Snyder in this story.
And my question is who else from the NFL. Is it going to
take down with them? What else does he know? Because it's
always seemed like the NFL really do.
Don't want to force him out and he's not going to go on its own
accord. So how does this end? How what happens? And if they
do end up forcing him out. Who does he take down with them
Mike? Because it just seems like that's kind
of been the case of
we want to protect him because he knows too much or there's
other stuff that could come out on us or whatever the case may
be. But there's more to this story. I think, than what you
even heard now, and we've heard a lot.
Some would say he's already taken down. Jon Gruden
that Dan Snyder is the one responsible for the emails that
were like. Now, I don't know that, but I know that
the Universe of people who had access to those emails was
extremely small and Snyder. Obviously
one of the people at access because they were on
his servers. His team's
internal digital operation.
And whoever did it is the person to blame
for congress being
actively involved in this. There was no issue. There was
no investigation, it Nothing, it was over. They had played it
perfectly when
they announced the findings, although they really don't have
any specific findings to share of the 10-month investigation
conducted by Beth Wilkinson on Thursday, July 1, perfect
timing
long four-day weekend for Fourth of July. A lot of people
off Friday. A lot of people off Monday, the world really get
back up and running again until Tuesday, the 6th and everyone
had forgotten about it. It was over, it was done.
It wasn't until early October when the Jon Gruden emails
surfaced, that people started putting Two and two together
that something's not right here. Something is missing,
transparency is needed. And that's what fueled this
Congressional investigation, which is now taking a turn
into Financial irregularities.
Reportedly, according to front office sports.com,
two sets of books.
And Shereen, I said this yesterday, I can't help but
wonder whether or not somebody from the NFL that, we're very
much like to see Daniel Snyder out is feeding information to
this committee through back channels
to get them to come after Schneider because it becomes
a lot easier for them. Be done with him if he is forced out,
not by his Partners,
but by circumstances related to
potential criminal liability if it gets to that point.
Well and Mike, how does this play out with the house
oversight committee exactly what happens now? What are
the next steps that they're going to take in this?
Well, there's a very small percentage of these
investigations that become public hearings and that's what
the NFL behind the scenes. Is trying to
finesse. That's why you have lawyers and lobbyists talking
to the people who are on the committee's and their staff
members. You really don't need to have a hearing on this now.
It may not be quite so direct like it would be on a
TV show, but the bottom line is, they are trying to keep
this from becoming a bigger deal than it is. You try to
placate
the folks on the committee. You try to make them think they're
wasting their time. If they have what really is a show
trial when one of these committees has an open hearing,
but it can be very valuable. I will because
it gets the attention of the public
and the private entities out there that know that they are
subject to governmental oversight and there could be
legislation that affects everybody coming out of it. All
these things, come to light. So I think what they'd like to
avoid is a hearing at which Daniel Snyder, Roger Goodell
Beth Wilkinson and others come and testify.
That's when it gets real and I think that's what they're
trying to avoid. And as a practical matter, the clock is
ticking because the widespread belief, is that the midterm
elections. Later this
This year, will result in the Republicans taking control of
the house, again, and the moment that happens, I think is
when this investigation is over. So there is a ticking
clock on what can be done
and the NFL, presumably, trying to run out the clock. That's
what they did back in July successfully. They ran out
the clock of any criticism that emerged
then and they're trying to run out the clock. Now. I think
that's the overriding goal. But
if the committee trips over something that results in
a referral to the Department of Justice, then you got
a different problem. Together
and see for as much as the NFL needs to worry about
the legislative branch. The NFL also needs to worry about
the judicial branch because all it takes is one ambitious
prosecutor who decides to exercise very broad discretion
to go after one of these American oligarchs who has
crossed the line and everybody needs a reminder on what
the law does and doesn't allow. So, I think that's the worst-case
scenario for Washington and for the NFL.
But
but the NFL may be welcoming portions of that worst-case
scenario. Because it would help them
as miles would say. It would rid them of this meddlesome.
Priest once and for all
that's the truth. Mike, you know, you talked about Daniel
Snyder,
why he just doesn't go and enjoy life and enjoy his kids
and whatever else he does in his free time.
And the only thing I would say to that it is to walk away in
the losses to me without up and I would either not be Hands-On.
Like I've been for my entire career.
Figure out. I'm the problem for this organization
or I would sell the team and move on the losses would add up
to me. I mean, this is a team that lost 14 years has had
three postseason appearances and no wins. 1991 was our last
Super Bowl last playoff, win was 2005.
You know, if I'm Daniel Snyder,
I don't enjoy this. I don't enjoy losing
every single week, every single year, not being in it, not
being a contender and maybe he thinks
He can keep turning this around year after year after year, but
that just doesn't seem like a lot of fun to me. So, I'm not
sure why he's enjoying being in this position being
the antagonist. Being the guy, everybody loves to hate even
Washington, commanders fans.
Don't like Daniel Snyder and want him out of there. They
probably want him out of there with more than anybody else
simply because the losses have added up under his tenure. So
that part of it to me doesn't add up that
what enjoyment really does. He get out of this. Does he get
The Limelight being in the Limelight. I mean,
you know, nobody looks at him positively
in that Limelight. So I'm not sure what he gets out of owning
this team Mike, other than getting rich and richer. Every
single year.
I was told back in 2020 when he was fighting with his limited
partners who were trying to sell their interest in
the team. They couldn't find buyers because people frankly don't
want to do business with Daniel Snyder. Snyder ended up buying
them out entirely. There was litigation. It was ugly. It was
nasty. It was messy. I was told back then he's determined to
give the team. It was kids and that could be the solution
to this. He steps aside wife, takes over wife, gives it to
the kids at some point
and that's it. And it's done. You don't have to sell it,
he gets to keep it and his kids get to have it and
Washington, commanders fans will hope that. As I said
earlier today and I don't mean any disrespect here, but it
would be a natural reaction. If you're Washington fan. You want
to make sure the Apple falls in the next
Orchard over. If it's Dan Snyder's, kids who are running
the team. Let's hear from Alex Smith, former.
Shannon quarterback, it was all with Rich Eisen today. And
apparently, he said a few things. I haven't heard them
yet. So it's going to be news to all of us. Here's Alex Smith
from earlier.
So you're saying whatever was going on in the front office
was affecting your ability to play football and focus on God,
how could it not? How could it not? I mean from he's like,
yeah, man, all this stuff there
with, you know, just the entire organization from ownership
down,
head coaching and GM
installed. It's a lot of, you know, Has been historically,
a lot of drama there
and, you know, it's a big Market,
you know, obviously the capital and a lot going on and
that organization is a really storied franchise.
And I just yeah, there's a lot of turmoil and a lot of
distractions. So to say that
the stuff going on in the building, doesn't infiltrate
the locker room or out in the field would be crazy. That
happens everywhere. I think that's what great organizations
eliminate
and the bad ones have a hard time with that. All that, all
that noise, creeps into the building
and It. Yeah, it does affect the product on the field. So
I think the,
you know, the great organizations and coaches,
have a have a knack to keep that out of the building
to quiet. The noise to decrease
distractions and focus on football, but it's easier said
than done.
You know, I can make it a lot easier for him.
I can shorten that entire answer to
Five words, you know what they are sharing
this functional teams, do
dysfunctional and kill things.
And I'm embarrassed that I had to actually count them out on
my hand, but I didn't want to get it wrong. But that's really
what he's saying. That's what he's saying. Yeah.
Yeah,
it is. And it's been like that for a long time. Since Daniel
Snyder. Took control this football team, Mike. It's no
different. And I mean Alex Smith, who was there from 2018
to 2020? Just she cured Dan Snyder in this organization.
I mean you use words like turmoil and difficult.
Focus and it starts from ownership on down and
turmoil,
you know, difficulties, all of those things, all of those
keywords, Alex Smith, use them in his interview
with Rich Eisen. So I think that tell you something,
I mean, none of that's a surprise to any of us on the outside but
it has somebody who was on the inside for three years. Saying
that, that tells you a lot about the state of this
franchise right now. Mike.
Not a surprise and it makes it even harder for people like Ron
Rivera who I think is
of incredibly great coaching stock Great Character.
The best thing that team has going right now is Ron Rivera
and he said earlier this week that it's kind of hard when
the team is getting dumped on all the time and you get sick of
it. Well, you did take the job.
You did kinda no and Ron Rivera I think would have had options.
He wanted that job, but