As the last remaining days of Daniel Snyder’s tenure as owner of the Commanders move like sand through a horizontal hourglass, the question of the handling of the still-unfinished Mary Jo White report lingers.
ESPN reports that Snyder and his lawyers currently are lobbying the league to limit the contents of the White report that will be publicly released.
A Commanders spokesperson described the ESPN report as “completely false and a blatant fabrication by someone with no actual knowledge of this matter.”
Although the league did Snyder a gigantic favor two years ago when concealing the contents of lawyer Beth Wilkinson’s report regarding chronic and widespread allegations of workplace misconduct at the Commanders, the NFL took significant criticism for its persistent refusal to be transparent. This time around, the league has vowed to make the White report public.
“His odds of burying the [White] report are the same as his odds of trading for Patrick Mahomes,” a source close to Snyder told ESPN. “He can try to not sell the team, but that isn’t a real option.”
Ultimately, the question becomes the framing of the White report. It’s no coincidence that the White report remains unfinished. It won’t be finished until Snyder is out. And it quite likely will have a different tone and content if he goes quietly than if he drags his feet and/or makes a fuss.
On one hand, the ESPN report seems more than plausible because that nuance would likely be lost on Snyder. He would want an assurance that the White report will be more slo-pitch softball than high heat.
The mere fact that White hasn’t finished her report (likely because her client hasn’t wanted her to finish her work) should tell Snyder that, if he sells and exits, it will be a sanitized, kid-gloves document. If he refuses to go, it will be a flamethrower.