As expected, Dan Snyder was a central talking point during this week’s owners meeting. The embattled Commanders owner remains the subject of speculation regarding his potential removal, something which will likely take place no earlier than the conclusion of the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing investigation into the team’s workplace culture.

That probe is nearing an end, as detailed by Mark Maske, Nicki Jhabvala and Liz Clarke of the Washington Post. The office of Attorney General Karl Racine is “moving full steam ahead,” and “planning to take further action” upon its conclusion. It remains to be seen, the report notes though, what that action will entail.

“Dan Snyder, the Commanders, and the NFL will soon face accountability for their actions,” an unnamed source said of the situation. “Snyder will no longer be able to dodge subpoenas or avoid testifying or answering questions.” The attorney representing dozens of former team employees, Lisa Banks, added, “We eagerly await next steps from the D.C. Attorney General – hopefully he will succeed where the NFL has failed in ensuring accountability for two decades of sexual misconduct.”

The news comes after an explosive ESPN report claimed that Snyder hired private investigators to gather information which would protect him against removal. The 57-year-old has staunchly denied doing so, and likewise the team has pushed back against the notion that severe disciplinary action is coming.

“The team’s lawyers have met with counsel at the Attorney General’s office on multiple occasions, and no one from that office has ever indicated that the office is planning to take any action against the team or Dan Snyder,” per a club statement, which described the leak of potential action as “unconscionable.”

Snyder has been front and center at times over the past year, but especially in recent weeks as sentiment favoring his removal – either via a vote of 24 or more other owners or by means of convincing him to sell the franchise – has reportedly grown considerably. Colts owner Jim Irsay grabbed plenty of attention with his remarks on Tuesday; the reaction of his peers will be one of the league’s top storylines when the investigation concludes.

Jim Irsay both said the subject of Dan Snyder being removed as Commanders owner deserves merit and indicated there might be 24 votes — the number necessary to approve such a measure — to make that happen, the Commanders released an emphatic statement confirming Snyder has no intentions of selling his franchise.

Hours later, Snyder offered a more contrite response to the rest of the league’s owners. Specifically, Snyder addressed the ESPN report that accused him of hiring private firms to investigate other owners. Accused of using those investigations to gather dirt on select other owners and commissioner Roger Goodell for leverage-acquiring purposes — in case a removal vote becomes a reality — Snyder released a statement (Twitter link) assuring his peers he has ever hired signed off on such investigations.

The multiple statements the Commanders owner approved Tuesday afternoon come as the owners convene in New York for their latest set of meetings. No vote on Snyder is expected to take place this week, with the NFL’s investigation into alleged misconduct and financial improprieties during Snyder’s tenure ongoing.

Snyder, 57, is being investigated by both the NFL and the House Oversight Committee. Those probes surfaced after a 2021 NFL inquiry into workplace misconduct — one that did not produce a written report — led to a $10MM Snyder fine and the embattled owner being removed from his role in day-to-day matters pertaining to franchise. The league’s current investigation will involve a written report.

Multiple reports over the past month have indicated support to remove Snyder from his 23-year ownership post is gaining traction. It remains unclear if a near-future vote on what would be a drastic step will happen, and Jerry Jones is still believed to support Snyder. Given the Cowboys owner’s clout, that certainly matters. But Snyder’s name is circulating at the league meetings. It will be interesting to see if his damage-control effort proves meaningful.

While the latest controversy over Dan Snyder continues to dominate the headlines, another important development concerning the embattled Commanders owner has taken place. The team’s legal representatives stated that Snyder is “no longer under any NFL restriction” with respect to his involvement in its day-to-day operations, per Mark Maske and Nicki Jhavbala of the Washington Post. 

[RELATED: Snyder’s Removal Unlikely To Be Discussed At Owner’s Meeting]

“Dan Snyder agreed with the NFL that he would step away from day-to-day operations … for a limited period, and he is no longer under any NFL restriction related to his involvement with the team,” a statement from the Holland & Knight firm reads in part. That references last July, when the NFL levied a $10MM fine against the then-Washington Football Team; in addition to that punishment, Snyder handed over operational duties to his wife Tanya.

As Maske and Jhavbala note, however, the NFL has not changed its stance on the matter – that Dan Snyder would not be suspended, but that he would nevertheless remain barred from team activities for an undetermined period. Nothing was expected to change in that regard until the conclusion of the ongoing investigation into Washington’s workplace culture (one which has since been joined by a probe into alleged financial impropriety), though Snyder’s representatives have previously maintained that his absence was always voluntary.

In any event, the 57-year-old will not attend this week’s owners meeting in New York. While he will not officially be on the agenda, Snyder is sure to be the subject of informal conversations, writes CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. Support is suspected to be dwindling in the wake of an ESPN report from earlier this week claiming that Snyder has dug up ‘dirt’ on fellow owners to protect against a vote forcing him to sell the team. As is the case with all other accusations, Snyder’s representatives have denied that.

For at least the immediate future, Snyder’s status within the Commanders organization appears to remain the same as it has for the past several months. With plenty of scrutiny hanging over his head, though, any move to increase his presence would add further to the attention being paid to his potentially tenuous position.

The possibility of Commanders owner Dan Snyder being pressured to sell the team – or removed from his position – has come up in 2022. The topic has once again become a topic of discussion amongst some of the league’s other owners, with significant action seemingly on the table. 

According to a report from Mark Maske, Nicki Jhabvala and Liz Clarke of the Washington Post, there are multiple owners who “believe serious consideration may be given to attempting to oust Snyder from the league’s ownership ranks.” Doing so would be possible by either convincing the 57-year-old to sell the franchise voluntarily, or through a vote receiving the support of at least 24 owners.

That sentiment represents both a repeat of that reportedly expressed earlier this offseason, and a contrast to the trepidation which followed it. In May, a number of owners were believed to be counting votes regarding a vote to remove Snyder, a sign of growing frustration in the wake of several controversies he and the team have been involved in. The latest of those include allegations of financial impropriety, and the investigation into workplace culture during which Snyder (after a lengthy back-and-forth over the matter of a subpoena) testified to the House Oversight Committee.

In the absence of any outcomes from those investigations, though, it became clear that no firm action would be immediately forthcoming regarding an attempt to remove Snyder. Now, however, one owner has spoken rather forcefully on the subject. “He needs to sell,” the anonymous owner said, adding that, “I think there will be a movement.”

The change in opinion, the report details, could be due in part to the franchise’s struggles in landing a new stadium deal. In addition, an increase in anti-Snyder sentiment could be a reaction to the recent news surrounding Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver. He has been fined and suspended by the league, and has begun the process of selling both franchises in the aftermath of several league policy violations.

“We are making important progress on a cultural transformation to ensure our workplace is inclusive and safe for all,” Commanders president Jason Wright said in a statement. “The League has publicly recognized our efforts, and independent experts regularly examining our journey on this accord have confirmed this progress.”

The report also notes that a desire to oust Snyder is “not unanimous,” and that nothing is imminent at this time. This saga will therefore remain clouded in uncertainty for the foreseeable future, but it apparently still has the potential to take a serious turn.

An agreement has been reached between the House Oversight Committee investigating the Commanders’ workplace culture and owner Dan Snyder allowing the latter to give testimony starting today. He will do so remotely, and, as expected given previous developments in this matter, voluntarily. 

“The Committee’s deposition of Mr. Snyder will go forward today,” per a written statement from a committee spokesperson, via Mark Maske, Liz Clarke and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. “Mr. Snyder has committed to providing full and complete testimony, and to answer the Committee’s questions about his knowledge of and contributions to the Commanders’ toxic work environment, as well as his efforts to interfere with the NFL’s internal investigation, without hiding behind nondisclosure or other confidentiality agreements.”

After weeks of negotiations regarding the circumstances under which Snyder would speak, it became known that he would only do so voluntarily, as opposed to under oath. The distinction would allow him to avoid answering questions pertaining to matters covered by nondisclosure agreements. The possibility still remains, however, for a subpoena to be issued later. The committee statement details that “should Mr. Snyder fail to honor his commitments, the Committee is prepared to compel his testimony on any unanswered questions upon his return to the United States.” 

The deposition will not be public, though the transcript can subsequently be released in whole or in part later. Snyder is expected to be questioned for longer than commissioner Roger Goodell was last month. Snyder’s refusal to speak voluntarily as Goodell did at the time led to a subpoena being issued, and the resulting back-and-forth between the committee and his representatives.

Today marks the next important chapter in this saga, one of many which have further soured the perception of Snyder around the league. With more details yet to emerge regarding the allegations of financial impropriety the team is currently facing (the result of which could have significant consequences on the potential of the league’s other owners attempting to remove him), Snyder will remain in the unwanted spotlight for the foreseeable future.

JULY 13: Another effort from Snyder to avoid questioning from the House Oversight Committee may be in progress. Responding to the committee’s latest salvo, Seymour said her client would only testify voluntarily (and not under oath).

“Under the circumstances, there is no valid basis to issue a subpoena for Mr. Snyder’s testimony,” Seymour said, via the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala (Twitter links). “We intend that he will testify voluntarily on July 28. We are confident that Mr. Snyder will able to provide full and complete testimony during his voluntary appearance – a view the Committee apparently shared…since the Committee invited him to testify voluntarily at a hearing held just three weeks ago.”

This figures to put the ball back in the committee’s court, continuing what has become a lengthy back-and-forth. The Congressional panel approving Snyder’s request to testify voluntarily would open the door to the Commanders owner ending his silence in this investigation but punting on certain questions. Seymour said Snyder would not answer questions on matters covered by nondisclosure agreements.

“Mr. Snyder has a troubling history of using NDAs to cover up workplace misconduct — behavior that is central to our investigation — and it would be highly inappropriate for him to employ the same tactic to withhold information from the Committee,” Oversight Committee chairperson Carolyn Maloney said Tuesday, via Mark Maske of the Washington Post. “Other former Commanders employees have participated in Committee depositions under subpoena, and Mr. Snyder should not be treated any differently.”

JULY 12: Dan Snyder has both avoided a House Oversight Committee request to testify in its months-long investigation into the Commanders’ workplace misconduct and has been evasive since he was hit with a subpoena to appear before the committee. But the committee is willing to accept one of Snyder’s stipulations in an effort to ensure he testifies.

Last week, Snyder attorney Karen Patton Seymour said her client would be available to be questioned by the committee on July 28 or July 29, via videoconference, but not June 30 — the date initially associated with the committee’s subpoena. The longtime Washington owner remains out of the country. The committee will now accept Snyder’s videoconference testimony, with John Keim of ESPN.com relaying (via Twitter) Snyder’s subpoena has been adjusted to allow for this session to take place July 28.

“The Committee accepts your offer for Mr. Snyder to testify on the subjects under investigation by the Committee on July 28,” the committee said in a statement to Seymour. “[We] will proceed with a subpoena in place to ensure that Mr. Snyder’s testimony will be full and complete.”

This process may encounter more Snyder resistance. The committee’s Tuesday decision pertains to Snyder testifying under its terms — via the subpoena — whereas Snyder’s offer was to testify voluntarily, according to Keim and the Washington Post’s Liz Clarke (Twitter links). Under the committee’s terms, Snyder must testify under oath and cannot choose the questions he does and does not answer. Snyder must decide his next move by 11am CT Wednesday, per Clarke.

Snyder cited a work conflict as the reason he could not testify alongside Roger Goodell at the June 22 hearing. The commissioner appeared virtually and answered the committee’s questions regarding the conduct of Snyder and his franchise. The committee then issued a subpoena to bring forth Snyder testimony.

The next chapter would be Snyder testifying later this month. It will be interesting to see if the embattled Commanders owner does so, or if another move to avoid questioning transpires.