• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Washington NFL Team Minority Owners Pressing Snyder to Sell

  • Minority owners are looking to sell their approximately 40% stake in the team.
  • The franchise would likely be worth more with an open path to majority ownership.
Washington NFL Team Minority Owners Reportedly Pressuring Dan Snyder to Sell
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Weeks of turmoil continue for Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder, who is now being pressured by the team’s minority owners to sell the franchise, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Minority owners FedEx Corp. CEO Fred Smith, Black Diamond Capital chairman Robert Rothman and NVR Inc. board chairman Dwight Schar own approximately 40% of the team and have already hired an investment firm to sell their stakes. According to the Journal’s sources, their shares would be more valuable on the market if the entire team were for sale.

When Snyder, 55, bought the team in 1999 for $750 million, he was the youngest owner in the NFL. He made his initial fortune with marketing business Snyder Communications and sold it in 2000, and is currently worth $2.6 billion, according to Forbes

Sources told the Journal that Snyder has “no intention” to sell his majority stake, and has “been reluctant to give any [interested minority buyers] the option to eventually buy control despite the attempt to oust him.” 

In a filing issued Monday in Virginia as part of a larger suit against an Indian media company, Snyder suggested that one of the minority owners tried to leak defamatory information that was published in articles in July that have since been taken down. 

Snyder has been under fire for much of the NFL offseason over a number of issues surrounding the team and its personnel.

In early July, after years of pushback, he announced that the team would drop its former “Redskins” moniker, a racist slur against Native Americans. FedEx, minority owner Smith’s company – which paid $205 million in 1998 for the naming rights to the team’s stadium through 2025 – had made an official request for a name change.

Smith had reportedly been trying to sell his stake in the team for at least a year ahead of the naming standoff, and at one point thought he had a buyer, but the buyer opted to buy a stake in a different team due to Snyder’s slow approval process.

A group of 87 investment firms and shareholders worth a combined $620 billion also issued letters calling for brands to end their relationship with the team until its name is changed, and Nike had pulled the team’s merchandise from its online store. The team announced in late July it would call itself the Washington Football Team during the 2020 season while it decides on a new name. 

On July 16, The Washington Post released an investigation that included allegations from 15 female team employees and two media members of sexual misconduct and harassment by team officials over more than a decade. While Snyder is not directly accused of misconduct, he is said to have fostered a “hostile” work environment.

Shortly after that report, Syder hired prominent sports attorney Beth Wilkinson to conduct an independent review of the allegations, and the team’s culture and policies.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Donald Trump
exclusive

Trump’s Unprecedented Super Bowl Visit Cost Secret Service More Than $120K

Trump was the first president to attend the Super Bowl.
Maria Taylor

Maria Taylor Talks About ‘Moving Differently’ in ESPN-NBC Jump

Taylor will be NBC Sports’ lead NBA and WNBA studio host.
Sep 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) makes a reception defended by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) during the fourth quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Sets Early NFL TV Ratings Mark

Several new milestones are established with the big early-season matchup.
Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) fakes a hand off in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome.

Amazon Says It Wants to Broadcast a Super Bowl

Jay Marine says he is “optimistic” about airing the Big Game.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
June 24, 2025

Timberwolves’ 4-Year Ownership Saga Ends As A-Rod, Lore Take Over

The unanimous approval brought a clean end to a long-disputed transaction.
Apr 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) before game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.
June 25, 2025

Rockets Get $20 Million in Wiggle Room From New VanVleet Deal

VanVleet first signed with the Rockets in 2023.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
April 20, 2025

Max Verstappen Linked to $300M Aston Martin Deal Ahead of Miami GP

Aston Martin is currently seventh in the constructors championship.
March 27, 2025

Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions Gets PE Boost

The Hall of Famer’s company gains another prominent backer.
March 20, 2025

High School Sports Power Signs Eight-Figure Rights Deal in First

The deal pays roughly $1 million annually, FOS has learned.
March 20, 2025

Maxx Crosby’s Agent: Edge Rushers Set to Dominate NFL’s Non-QB Market

Maxx Crosby just signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension.