Arthur Blank must be glad the NFL is chock-full of controversy. The Falcons owner still hasn’t given the media an explanation for alienating a portion of the fan base due to the pursuit of Deshaun Watson. Whether you agree with it or not, the man probably owes the fans some semblance of a statement. But that won’t happen because there are plenty of other juicy stories to cover, chiefly Dan Snyder’s ownership of the Washington Commanders.
Snyder announced in November that he’d hired Bank of America to potentially sell the franchise, which everyone should fully expect to fall through. The decision to “sell” came after Colts owner Jim Irsay stated Snyder should be removed, adding they should have enough votes to do so. Those comments followed a story from ESPN that revealed Synder told a confidant that he had enough dirt to bring down several NFL owners and Roger Goodell using a private investigator.
Most recently, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s investigation into the club and its owner was released; it’s incredibly damning. Among other incriminating actions, the findings revealed Snyder gave “misleading testimony” and the NFL “buried” Beth Wilkinson’s report, who investigated the allegation of sexual harassment within the organization. However, those findings were never released in printed format, which was the plan initially; instead, Goodell relayed them verbally.
Back to Blank, who told Front Office Sports that the Congressional investigation into the Commanders would be discussed in the upcoming privileged session, which protects all conversations. Blank couldn’t have disregarded a portion of his team’s fan base at a better time because what is unfolding in Washington will be the focus of the league’s media for the foreseeable future.
What I would give to be a fly on the wall in that room with all of the owners and league officials. I imagine it’s like a scene out of the Godfather with Jerry Jones, Arthur Blank, Robert Kraft, and all of the other bigwigs politicking. Hopefully, it ends with Dan Snyder’s official commitment to sell the Commanders because a franchise as historic as Washington deserves better.
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