Goodbye Gruden and ongoing Snyder investigation discussion

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,993
Newton
In news that will shock us all, Snyder did not fully cooperate with Wilkinson, tried to prevent her from talking to people and sent private investigators after former employees.

Get rid of him already.
 

soxhop411

news aggravator
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2009
46,274
NFL is taking this lawsuit seriously it seems,

https://www.clarkcountycourts.us/Anonymous/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=12178894

JUST IN: The NFL has brought in powerhouse litigator Brad Karp and the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to defend the league in the Jon Gruden lawsuit. Karp was lead counsel in the concussion case & Paul Weiss wrote the investigative report in Deflategate.
View: https://twitter.com/WALLACHLEGAL/status/1477440799101050881


The above link from the Clark County Courts is free to access and can be used to follow any new filings in the case I think
 

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,993
Newton

Average Reds

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 24, 2007
35,330
Southwestern CT
Oh look, the NFL is investigating Snyder again, this time with Mary Jo White in the lead and a written report being prepared:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/18/sports/nfl-preparing-new-investigation-commanders-owner-dan-snyder/

I found this almost comical:
It is comical, but it‘a also interesting. (To me, at least.)

The NFL hates to be forced into a do-over for damage-control. It means they have to waste time and money for something they thought was already behind them.

They have already pinned the responsibility for the lack of transparency on Snyder. Which feels like an ominous foreshadowing.
 

PedroKsBambino

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 17, 2003
31,187
Mary Jo White (and Debevoise) are even more credible than I used to think Ted Wells was.....but we all know how that ended up.
 

Harry Hooper

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 4, 2002
34,367
White will detail her findings in a written report, which will be released to the public since the allegation against Snyder was made in a public forum, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Friday.
Based on past experience, that's the tale the NFL wanted to get out now, but months/years later there should be no surprise if it ends up as something like a 3-paragraph release.
 
Last edited:

E5 Yaz

Transcends message boarding
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 25, 2002
90,014
Oregon
Based on past experience, that's the tale the NFL wanted to get out now, but months/years later there should be no surprise it it ends up as something like a 3-paragraph release.
A three-paragraph release approved by the NFL
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
SoSH Member
Nov 4, 2007
62,312
Mary Jo White (and Debevoise) are even more credible than I used to think Ted Wells was.....but we all know how that ended up.
Yeah, thought I remembered her name from the Supreme Court and my law school study guides. At least the NFL is spreading the corruption to new firms after fanging Paul, Weiss and Covington.
 

HowBoutDemSox

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 12, 2009
10,103
Judge denies the NFL’s motions to have Gruden’s lawsuit either sent to arbitration or dismissed outright:
A Nevada judge ruled in favor of former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden on two motions Wednesday, opening the possibility of a jury trial on his "tortious interference" claim that the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell selectively leaked Gruden's emails to force his removal on Oct. 11.

Judge Nancy L. Allf denied the NFL's motion to compel arbitration as well as the league's motion to dismiss the case outright. The suit will now go to trial unless a settlement is reached. Allf gave no timeline, though, for the next proceeding.

The NFL said in a statement given to multiple media outlets that it would appeal.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/33983514/judge-denies-nfl-motions-dismiss-jon-gruden-lawsuit-move-arbitration
 

PC Drunken Friar

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 12, 2003
14,540
South Boston
He really is a piece of shit.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34490318/jon-gruden-says-emails-shameful-good-person-hope-get-another-shot

"I'm ashamed about what has come about in these emails, and I'll make no excuses for it," he said. "It's shameful. But, I am a good person. I believe that. I go to church. I've been married for 31 years. I've got three great boys. I still love football. I've made some mistakes. But I don't think anybody in here hasn't.
"What you read, what you hear, what you watch on TV. Hell, I worked at ESPN for nine years. I worked hard at that job. I don't even want to watch the channel anymore because I don't believe everything is true.
 

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,993
Newton
Looks like Dan believes he has the goods on multiple owners and Goodell:

Sources: Commanders boss Snyder claims 'dirt' on NFL owners

DAN SNYDER DOES this thing when he feels cornered, say those who know him well. He paces in a hotel suite, or on his superyacht, or at River View, his $48 million Virginia estate. Cradling a drink in one hand, he tells members of his inner circle about the dirt he has accumulated on fellow owners, coaches, executives, even his own employees -- all the stuff he's learned from other sources, including private investigative firms. He never says exactly what he knows, only that in his 23 years as owner of the Washington Commanders, he knows a lot. And that in the zero-sum world of billionaires, this is how you survive. Snyder recently told a close associate that he has gathered enough secrets to "blow up" several NFL owners, the league office and even commissioner Roger Goodell.

"They can't f--- with me," he has said privately.

Senior team executives and confidants have heard him say it since he was considered merely one of the worst owners in sports. Now that he's facing investigations on multiple fronts and running out of high-powered allies, he alludes more than ever to the dirty work. Snyder, now 57 years old, has told associates he will not lose his beloved franchise without a fight that would end with multiple casualties.

"The NFL is a mafia," he recently told an associate. "All the owners hate each other."

"That's not true," one veteran owner says. "All the owners hate Dan."
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34778123/washington-commanders-owner-dan-snyder-claims-dirt-nfl-owners-roger-goodell

I would give my first born for this to come out and wreck all these assholes.
 

Vinho Tinto

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 9, 2003
7,046
Auburn, MA
Looks like Dan believes he has the goods on multiple owners and Goodell:
This league reaps what it sows. Yes, he paid a record price for the team; but in doing so one of the worst investors imaginable became owner of one of their crown jewel teams.

He has spent the 20+ years as a partner destroying the reputations of the league and his franchise. Just an unbelievable embarrassment to anyone who associates with him (Besides Jerry Jones). The obvious comparison is the value to what Robert Kraft has to brought to the table vs Snyder. It is night and day.

That he is left scrambling to take down any of his league partners is the perfect cap to, hopefully, the end of his involvement with the NFL.
 

BigSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
May 31, 2007
47,086
Snyder:

"Kraft has gotten hand jobs at multiple massage parlors! And Mrs. Lippy's car...is green."
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
SoSH Member
Sep 27, 2016
21,754
Pittsburgh, PA
I don't doubt dirt fitting that description exists. Behind every great fortune is a great crime, and NFL owners make (say) Fortune 500 CEOs look like choir boys.

Whether Dan Snyder is even half of the master spy he thinks he is, to accumulate that and play his cards correctly - that much seems rather unlikely, to put it mildly.
 

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,993
Newton
I mean, does anyone doubt that he actually DOES have dirt on all these guys?
I don't -- honestly the only explanation for the whole "oral report" Beth Wilkinson provided of her investigation into Snyder is that the owners wanted to know what happened but didn't want anything to go public that might force their hand. Otherwise, you let the media run hog wild with those findings and let him be pushed out.

I actually think the real question is what it would take for Snyder to go nuclear and release this "dirt" to the public. I've lost track at this point of all the various institutions that are scrutinizing him right now -- the League, Congress and all the lawsuits. At some point, I would expect one of these investigations or lawsuits to go public, leaving Goodell no choice but to act. And then I think the question becomes whether Snyder's silence can be bought. He may be rich enough at this point not to care. But if I were the Washington Post, I would be investing big in this story, because the sports media--ESPN in particular--will never do anything that could put the league as a whole at risk.
 

8slim

has trust issues
SoSH Member
Nov 6, 2001
24,829
Unreal America
I think he's full of shit. I mean, I'm sure he has some "dirt" on some owners. But I doubt it's anything that either couldn't be denied/obfuscated or wouldn't generate much surprise/outrage.

Particularly because he's the worst messenger imaginable. A couple of my former colleagues went to work for Snyder 20 years ago, and told stories of the racist, misogynistic and anti-semitic comments he made. The guy is the friggin' worst.
 

Bowser

New Member
Sep 27, 2019
400
Dan's recipe for success: claim you have dirt on owners + all owners are flawed + make them wonder what you have = (don't) profit.

Sad.
 

Red Right Ankle

Formerly the Story of Your Red Right Ankle
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
11,937
Multivac
I think he's full of shit. I mean, I'm sure he has some "dirt" on some owners. But I doubt it's anything that either couldn't be denied/obfuscated or wouldn't generate much surprise/outrage.

Particularly because he's the worst messenger imaginable. A couple of my former colleagues went to work for Snyder 20 years ago, and told stories of the racist, misogynistic and anti-semitic comments he made. The guy is the friggin' worst.
One of my self-loathing brethren, I see.

Good point on Snyder being a terrible messenger - he'll just get buried under an avalanche of stories about what an awful, and most importantly, lying scumbag he is.

Even if there was a good messenger, this is 31 billionaires - not exactly the type of people that end up getting "destroyed" by committing even actual crimes let alone the kind of scandals that simply ruin other people. Short of maybe treason or pedophilia rings, they are pretty well insulated from consequences by money and power.

Maybe they have to go to Congress and get embarrassed by politicians and pledge to be better or something; make some donations, set up a new bullshit PR initiative. Meanwhile the league chugs on and no one stops watching because Americans have proven time and again that we, as a whole, don't really care about this stuff when it comes to sports.
 

RIFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
3,087
Rhode Island
Snyder probably has the goods on a number of owners that would cause them great embarrassment and public ridicule. The NFL probably has the goods on Snyder that will lead to jail time and / or loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. I'd be pretty confident that if he wanted to go scorched earth he'd be the one that would end up as ashes. The NFL is a lot more adept at managing the information flow and PR spin than he can ever hope to be.
 

Phil Plantier

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 7, 2002
3,419
I'm skipping anger and going straight to depression

When asked whether his fellow owners would forgive Snyder for the team's financial woes and the toxic culture scandal if Snyder could build a new stadium, the owner quickly replied, "Yes."

Asked if Snyder is aware of that, the owner said, "Yes."
 

kenneycb

Hates Goose Island Beer; Loves Backdoor Play
SoSH Member
Dec 2, 2006
16,090
Tuukka's refugee camp
This league reaps what it sows. Yes, he paid a record price for the team; but in doing so one of the worst investors imaginable became owner of one of their crown jewel teams.

He has spent the 20+ years as a partner destroying the reputations of the league and his franchise. Just an unbelievable embarrassment to anyone who associates with him (Besides Jerry Jones). The obvious comparison is the value to what Robert Kraft has to brought to the table vs Snyder. It is night and day.

That he is left scrambling to take down any of his league partners is the perfect cap to, hopefully, the end of his involvement with the NFL.
What is the league reaping? Profits and ratings are as high as ever and valuations keep going up. The "end of football" talk from 5 or so years ago is all but gone. He is a buffoon but that appears to have no impact on the reputation of the league. Franchise is another story but they'd still get sold for a record if it went up to bid. He could have put them in a better spot but IMO his actions have little to do with the hypothetical Commanders valuation
 

Vinho Tinto

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 9, 2003
7,046
Auburn, MA
What is the league reaping?
In the moment, the owners benefitted from Snyder resetting the market for their franchises by paying 800 million to get into the league in 1999. 10 years earlier, Jerry Jones paid $140 for the Cowboys. Robert Kraft took over the Patriots at $175 in 1994.

That is all they cared about. We can debate the hypotheticals of when the franchise values would have appreciated, but he made it move overnight and that's why he was approved. Unlike Jones and Kraft, he hasn't made any big investments in his franchise or been influential in league matters. He is Donald Sterling, but with a pocket protector.
 

joe dokes

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
30,236
Snyder probably has the goods on a number of owners that would cause them great embarrassment and public ridicule. The NFL probably has the goods on Snyder that will lead to jail time and / or loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. I'd be pretty confident that if he wanted to go scorched earth he'd be the one that would end up as ashes. The NFL is a lot more adept at managing the information flow and PR spin than he can ever hope to be.
Al Davis is something of an example. He remained as owner. But always, always on the outside looking in. And Davis was, at bottom, a football guy. Snyder isn't even that.
 

Justthetippett

New Member
Aug 9, 2015
2,391
Snyder probably has the goods on a number of owners that would cause them great embarrassment and public ridicule. The NFL probably has the goods on Snyder that will lead to jail time and / or loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. I'd be pretty confident that if he wanted to go scorched earth he'd be the one that would end up as ashes. The NFL is a lot more adept at managing the information flow and PR spin than he can ever hope to be.
I think this is all posturing. Too much money to be lost by both sides, which is ultimately what they care about. If Snyder goes it will be quietly and well compensated.
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
SoSH Member
Nov 4, 2007
62,312
To paraphrase South Park, sometimes you need a dick to fuck some assholes. I’d love to see it all come out and burn, so long as Snyder doesn’t get any credit for lighting a match.
 

cornwalls@6

Less observant than others
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
6,247
from the wilds of western ma
Exhibit Z, at least, of the faulty assumption that immense wealth= cunning and intelligence. He was a lucky sperm, who leveraged his fathers wealth and connections to get into a business that is essentially failure-proof. He’s playing this like a moron. He just showed his “hand”, giving Rog and the rest of the oligarchs plenty of opportunity to establish their plausible deniability. He’s an entitled, petulant, bully. He’s not a smart guy.
 
Last edited:

kenneycb

Hates Goose Island Beer; Loves Backdoor Play
SoSH Member
Dec 2, 2006
16,090
Tuukka's refugee camp
In the moment, the owners benefitted from Snyder resetting the market for their franchises by paying 800 million to get into the league in 1999. 10 years earlier, Jerry Jones paid $140 for the Cowboys. Robert Kraft took over the Patriots at $175 in 1994.

That is all they cared about. We can debate the hypotheticals of when the franchise values would have appreciated, but he made it move overnight and that's why he was approved. Unlike Jones and Kraft, he hasn't made any big investments in his franchise or been influential in league matters. He is Donald Sterling, but with a pocket protector.
My point is he has not destroyed the reputation of the league or his franchise given someone will snap it up for a record amount. The NFL on the whole has barely been impacted from and during Snyder’s tenure. I doubt this alleged dirt will do much on that front either. Worst case a bunch of owners sell for record and ever appreciating profits.
 

mauf

Anderson Cooper × Mr. Rogers
Moderator
SoSH Member
What reason is there to think Dan Snyder has dirt on other NFL owners?

I don’t think NFL owners are chummy with each other the way they were in the old days. If there’s a clique that’s still like that, Snyder has never been part of it. I’ll be surprised if he has dirt worth dishing.
 

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,993
Newton
What reason is there to think Dan Snyder has dirt on other NFL owners?

I don’t think NFL owners are chummy with each other the way they were in the old days. If there’s a clique that’s still like that, Snyder has never been part of it. I’ll be surprised if he has dirt worth dishing.
Wickersham and Van Natta say he hired PI’s:
According to more than 30 owners, league and team executives, lawyers and current and former Commanders employees interviewed by ESPN, the fear of reprisal that Snyder has instilled in his franchise, poisoning it on the field and off, has expanded to some of his fellow owners. Multiple owners and league and team sources say they've been told that Snyder instructed his law firms to hire private investigators to look into other owners -- and Goodell.

League sources say the NFL is aware that Snyder has claimed to be tracking owners. But none of the owners or sources would reveal how they learned of Snyder's alleged effort to use private investigators. It's also unclear how many owners are said to have been targeted, though sources say they believe it's at least six. One owner was told by Snyder directly that he "has dirt on Jerry Jones," a team source told ESPN, though the nature of the information was unclear. Another source confirmed that Snyder has told a confidant that he has "a file" on Jones, the Dallas Cowboys owner who has served as Snyder's friend, mentor and longtime firewall of support.
 

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,993
Newton
Wickersham and Van Natta say he hired PI’s:
Also, the article also describes how he’s used PI’s ti intimidate cheerleaders, the “common interest provision” of the Wilkinson investigation to gain access to its materials and various other Reed Smith scummy tactics to accumulate dirt:

A congressional committee, which Snyder's lawyer blasted last week as an unfair partisan attack, has looked deeply at Snyder and the team for nearly a year. One of the committee's main concerns is the use of non-disclosure agreements to cover up bad behavior. The committee's damning 29-page report said Snyder "abused the subpoena power of federal courts to obtain private emails, call logs, and communications in an effort to uncover the sources of the Washington Post's exposes, undermine their credibility, and impugn their motives."

Snyder used the Wilkinson investigation as "a tip sheet" for his law firms, according to multiple legal and team sources. "The list of people who opposed him became his enemies list," a former Washington executive says.

'No way out'
SNYDER'S AFFECTION FOR using private eyes was shown during the congressional investigation, when one of his law firms, Reed Smith, was found to have hired "private investigators to harass and intimidate" dozens of former team employees during the Wilkinson inquiry. Former team employees told investigators that "Mr. Snyder's use of private investigators intimidated them and discouraged them from participating in the Wilkinson investigation." The resulting product was a 100-slide presentation made to Wilkinson and the league, dated Nov. 23, 2020, according to the report. The presentation "appears to be based on private text messages, emails, phone logs and call transcripts, and social media posts from nearly 50 individuals."

Reed Smith is known to deploy every legal weapon on behalf of clients. Multiple sources with firsthand knowledge say that when Reed Smith represented Alex Rodriguez in his lawsuit against Major League Baseball, a private investigator was hired to track commissioner Rob Manfred. Reed Smith partner Jordan Siev told ESPN in a statement that the firm is "not aware of any investigator having been engaged to investigate" Manfred, and he said he had "no knowledge of any efforts to investigate or compile information" on NFL owners, executives or Goodell. Siev did not respond to questions about whether Reed Smith commissioned investigations of former Commanders employees.
It’s worth noting that Reed Smith comes off as positively craven in this article – siccing PI’s on Rob Manfred during the Alex Rodriguez investigation (which they deny), on victims in this case (which they don’t). How the Jordan Sievs of the world live with themselves when not only representing the likes of Dan Snyder (which I at least understand) but by stooping to this kind of clearly unethical behavior is really beyond me.

It’s the Weinstein playbook all over again and kind of incredible to me that these firms don’t appear to lose business from other, presumably not-evil, clients for doing this kind of work.
 
Last edited:

Awesome Fossum

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
3,893
Austin, TX
Really underscores that the last stand for the fans of this team is to not let him build a stadium. I'm sure Virginia will crumble, but one can dream.
 

soxhop411

news aggravator
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2009
46,274
The fact that Irsay is saying this publicly is a bit shocking

Colts owner Jim Irsay says merit to oust owner Daniel Snyder

NEW YORK -- For the first time, an NFL owner publicly has called for serious consideration to remove Washington's Dan Snyder from NFL ownership.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay held an explosive interview scrum at the fall meetings and called Snyder's missteps as owner, particularly with workplace misconduct, "gravely concerning."

"I believe there is merit to removing him as owner of the (Commanders)," Irsay said from the hotel lobby of the Conrad New York Downtown. "There's consideration that he should be removed."

The Mary Jo White investigations into Washington's years of alleged workplace misconduct and financial improprieties under Snyder are at the root of the issue, said Irsay, who stressed the league "potentially" could have a majority vote from owners to unseat Snyder. White is a former district attorney probing the matter on behalf of the NFL.

The league requires 24 of 32 owners to approve such a vote, which never has been done at the NFL level.

Irsay said no vote will take place at Tuesday's meetings and owners need to hear more about where the investigation stands.
A recent ESPN investigation detailed the matter while painting Snyder's shrewd plans against fellow owners, using private investigators to acquire "dirt" from their past.

"Some of the things I've heard doesn't represent us at all," Irsay said. "I want the American public to know what we're about as owners...You can't shy away from the fact that, I believe it's in the best interest of the National Football League that we look at this squarely in the eyes and deal with it."

A vote could come as soon as the winter meetings, said Irsay, who said owners must receive a thorough and detailed status report.

"That's not what we stand for in the National Football League. I think owners have been painted incorrectly a lot of times by various people and various situations. That's not what we're about."
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34824686/colts-owner-jim-irsay-says-merit-oust-owner-daniel-snyder

View: https://twitter.com/bylindsayhjones/status/1582470846408335360

Snyder of course continues to go baghdad Bob with his statements
View: https://twitter.com/JPFinlayNBCS/status/1582485646060695559
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,459
The fact that Irsay is saying this publicly is a bit shocking

Colts owner Jim Irsay says merit to oust owner Daniel Snyder



https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34824686/colts-owner-jim-irsay-says-merit-oust-owner-daniel-snyder

View: https://twitter.com/bylindsayhjones/status/1582470846408335360

Snyder of course continues to go baghdad Bob with his statements
View: https://twitter.com/JPFinlayNBCS/status/1582485646060695559
lol, we made remarkable progress from the absolute gutter over the last 2 years... also, that is the time period during which Snyder was "stepping away from day to day", which would maybe indicate that you could progress even more if he was stepped away from being involved at all.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2013
72,429
Is this the same Irsay with the drug and DUI problem that had his mistress overdose in a house bought for with embezzled money?
 

soxhop411

news aggravator
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2009
46,274
Is this the same Irsay with the drug and DUI problem that had his mistress overdose in a house bought for with embezzled money?
Yes, which is why thats its Irsay who is the one who went public with this, all the more shocking...
 

P'tucket rhymes with...

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2006
11,624
The Coney Island of my mind
The fact that Irsay is saying this publicly is a bit shocking

Colts owner Jim Irsay says merit to oust owner Daniel Snyder



https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34824686/colts-owner-jim-irsay-says-merit-oust-owner-daniel-snyder

View: https://twitter.com/bylindsayhjones/status/1582470846408335360

Snyder of course continues to go baghdad Bob with his statements
View: https://twitter.com/JPFinlayNBCS/status/1582485646060695559
Right? Either Irsay is on his best jag ever, or Snyder is so fucked that even Jim Fucking Irsay can lord it over him. Possibly both.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,459
Right? Either Irsay is on his best jag ever, or Snyder is so fucked that even Jim Fucking Irsay can lord it over him. Possibly both.
By NFL owner standards... Irsay isn't even close to the worst, he has a drug problem, but he hasn't even been accused of sexual assault or harrasment as far as I know, his criminal history is mostly his own drug issues. Also, not a racist... puts him probably top 10 when you factor that in. Good people don't own NFL teams generally.