How did Dan Snyder threaten Roger Goodell? New report sheds light on Commanders owner’s ‘Blackmail PowerPoint’

Pending the approval and official sale of the team, Dan Snyder is no longer the owner of the Washington Commanders. The move brings to an end a tumultuous and controversial reign for Snyder.

A recent report shines even more light on just how bad that era was, suggesting that the embattled owner tried to blackmail NFL comissioner Roger Goodell.

A lot of this stems from the email controversy surrounding Jon Gruden, who was fired for racist and sexist comments made about league officials and more. Snyder is believed to have been involved in the leaks.

According to Don van Natta and Seth Wickersham of ESPN, the Commanders boss might have orchestrated the whole thing to deflect pressure off of him:

"Sources said Snyder, who was serving a punishment after a league investigation had exposed a toxic workplace culture at the team, hoped the emails would deflect blame for workplace issues to Allen while currying favor with Goodell by giving the commissioner a chance to eliminate Gruden, a longtime antagonist."

As the NFL grew tired of Snyder's antics, the Commanders owner's team began showcasing to the league office that they had proof of inappropriate and embarrasing texts and emails from top league officials- including Goodell.

This became known as the "Blackmail PowerPoint", which was rumored to have been used to keep the NFL from forcing Snyder to sell. This report suggests that those rumors might have been true.

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How Dan Snyder's Blackmail Powerpoint worked

By this point, it was common knowledge that Dan Snyder was not a good owner and that he had been involved with a toxic and harmful workplace for decades now. Still, when it came time for the league to potentially punish him, they didn't do much.

Dan Snyder sold the Washington Commanders

It seems as if the PowerPoint worked and while some owners called for strict punishments against their Washington counterpart, Goodell was hesitant. When the punishments were handed down, Snyder was pleased with the result.

Not long after, though, things continued to spiral and despite not being forced to sell by the league, Snyder chose to sell with pressure mounting. He will soon not be the majority owner.