For much of Daniel Snyder’s 24-year ownership of Washington’s NFL team, dysfunction was the norm. What would have been franchise-altering moments for any other organization occurred in droves in Washington, leading to more federal and league-led investigations (five) than playoff wins (two).
Remember how Ron Rivera was hired in 2020 to fix the franchise’s culture? That was shortly after Snyder fired coach Jay Gruden, left tackle Trent Williams went to war with the team over his medical care, safety Montae Nicholson dropped off an unconscious woman (who was later pronounced dead from a fentanyl overdose) at a Loudoun County emergency room and team president Bruce Allen was fired after a 10-year run with the franchise — all in the span of three months. And remember when the Drug Enforcement Administration raided the team’s headquarters in 2021? If you forgot, that’s probably because it was maybe the 20th-most significant thing to happen in recent years
On Thursday, NFL team owners approved Snyder’s sale of the Commanders to a group led by private equity and sports investor Josh Harris for $6.05 billion, beginning a new era in Washington. Lest anyone forget just how crazy the past few years have been, we’ve compiled the major news stories into a comprehensive timeline
Snyder opened his introductory news conference by wishing everyone a “Happy Thanksgiving,” then said he had empowered Rivera with full control of the football operations. “We’re going to have one voice and one voice alone, and that’s going to be the coach’s,” Snyder said.
