Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said Tuesday he believes there’s “merit” to remove Daniel Snyder as owner of the Washington Commanders, becoming the first of his peers to publicly call for an ouster.
“I just believe in the workplace today, the standard that the shield stands for, in the NFL, that you have to stand for that and protect that,” Irsay said, his hand shaking as he talked to reporters at the league’s fall meeting. “I just think that once owners talk amongst each other, they’ll arrive to the right decision. My belief is that, unfortunately, I believe that that’s the road we probably need to go down, and we just need to finish the investigation. But it’s gravely concerning to me, the things that have occurred there over the last 20 years.”
The investigation Isray referred to is actually two separate probes, both overseen by former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White. One is into an allegation Snyder sexually harassed an employee, and the second is over concerns he held back revenue that was to be shared with other owners. Snyder denies both charges.
Asked if he believed there are the 24 necessary owner votes to remove Snyder, Irsay replied, “I think potentially there will be. But we’ll see.”
Currently, there is no formal plan to vote to remove Snyder as the league awaits the White reports. Those reports have always been viewed within the league as crucial: If they exonerate Snyder he stays. But if they are incriminating, the chances of Snyder being removed increase.
But Irsay suggested, at least for him, there was enough water under the bridge irrespective of the investigations to remove Snyder.