Commanders team owner Dan Snyder 'exploring all options' in possible sale of team

The Washington Commanders announced on Wednesday that owners Dan and Tanya Snyder have hired Bank of America Securities to "consider potential transactions" regarding the team.

Does this mean the Snyders are actually going to sell the team? Maybe, but also maybe not. The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala attempted to gain more clarity on what the Snyders are intending to sell and was told that they could be selling the entire team or possibly just a minority stake.

According to Forbes, the Snyders have already been contacted by four groups interested in buying the team.

So much controversy with Dan Snyder, Commanders

Dan Snyder and the Commanders have been embroiled in several years of controversy regarding the alleged sexual harassment and violation of cheerleaders' privacy, the alleged discrimination and harassment of women in the workplace, and the team name. Snyder and the Commanders have been sued multiple times by former team cheerleaders and female employees, and have more recently been accused of holding back ticket revenue that should have gone to the league.

Snyder was removed from the team's day-to-day operations last year following an investigation into harassment and toxic workplace claims, and replaced by his wife, Tanya. But the lack of a written report from that investigation, which was conducted by a lawyer originally hired by Snyder, led to a Congressional investigation which required depositions from commissioner Roger Goodell and Snyder himself, among others. The Congressional investigation is still ongoing, and the transcript from Snyder's deposition has yet to be released. Snyder is also currently being investigated by the NFL for, among other things, additional allegations of sexual harassment made against him specifically.

That list of crimes and accusations is far, far from complete, and it doesn't really begin to describe how Snyder has become an ugly, throbbing boil on the butt of the NFL. Yet until a few weeks ago, at the NFL owners meetings, not one executive had spoken out about him. Indianapolis Colts team owner Jim Irsay became the first owner to speak out against Snyder and publicly support his removal.

“I believe,” Irsay said, “that there’s merit to remove him as owner of the [Commanders].” Irsay went on to mention the team's toxic workplace environment and the accusations of financial impropriety.

It was only one owner's voice, but at the very least it signaled that not all owners were willing to stay quiet about one of their own continuing to degrade the NFL brand by allegedly acting like the world's dimmest and most overconfident low-level mobster.