Power in the N.F.L.

By now, this is a familiar story: A powerful Washington denizen scrambles to hold onto his position while facing misconduct accusations. The institution I want to tell you about today, though, is not Capitol Hill or the White House, but the N.F.L. The person: Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Commanders.

Snyder faces allegations of malfeasance, some direct and others under his watch, that are as varied as they are extensive: sexual harassment, racism, witness intimidation, financial malpractice and office dysfunction. The latest round came when ESPN reported last week that Snyder had told people that he had accumulated dirt on other team owners and league personnel.

The saga has significance beyond sports. In a league that is one of America’s most popular cultural institutions, now pulling in about $18 billion in annual revenue, Snyder is one of just 32 team owners who have deep influence over how the N.F.L. conducts itself. So his case is a lesson in how elite figures exercise power, particularly to advance their own agendas.

With each revelation, fans and critics have called on the N.F.L. to step in and make a change. I’ve covered the league for 15 years, and in today’s newsletter, I’ll explain how Snyder has remained in control of the team. (The answer has nothing to do with football success — Washington, a storied franchise that won three Super Bowls in the ’80s and ’90s, has rarely been competitive since. The team is 2-4 this season and last in its division.)

Snyder has denied wrongdoing, and the team asserts that it has transformed its culture, while pointing to an earlier business dispute as the source of its problems. “For over two years there has been an active and well-funded campaign to spread false and malicious stories and accuse Dan Snyder of things that never actually happened in an effort to coerce the Snyders to sell their team,” a Commanders representative said in a statement.

N.F.L. team owners will convene in New York today for a quarterly meeting, where they will almost certainly discuss Snyder, at least informally.

The accusations

Snyder has owned the team since 1999, but in recent years his grasp has become more tenuous. As he has resolved some complaints, others have emerged. The image of a mismanaged organization has persisted. The allegations include:

• Targeting other owners. Snyder instructed his lawyers to hire investigators to gather any damaging information on other owners and even on the N.F.L. commissioner, Roger Goodell, according to the ESPN report. His lawyers called those details “categorically false.” While such tactics would be unheard-of among the selective club of team owners, there’s no question that Snyder has tested his peers’ patience over the past two years. The mere possibility of his having collected compromising information could give him leverage against fellow billionaires used to privacy.

  Snyder’s representatives have also accused three former part-owners of the team, who sought to sell their stakes in 2020 and were bought out by Snyder last year, of engaging in a smear campaign to force him to sell the team.

• Sexual harassment claims. More than 40 women have said they were sexually harassed or verbally abused while working for the team, including more than a dozen cited in a pivotal Washington Post article in 2020. The Post also reported that in 2009, the team reached a confidential $1.6 million settlement with an employee who said Snyder had sexually harassed and assaulted her; he denied the allegation. The news came after team cheerleaders told The New York Times in 2018 that they had been required to take part in a topless photo shoot and a night out with male sponsors. Altogether, the accounts showed that a toxic culture had taken hold, and the team said it would investigate.

  The N.F.L. soon took over that inquiry, which affirmed that widespread disrespect and harassment marked the team’s workplace. As a result, the team was fined $10 million and Snyder was told last year to step away from the club’s day-to-day operations. The N.F.L., though, was criticized for keeping the details of its findings private, prompting the House Committee on Oversight and Reform to begin its own investigation, saying that what happens in the N.F.L. has implications for workplaces across America.

  The committee found another claim of sexual harassment against Snyder, which led to a second N.F.L. investigation and which he has also denied.

• Financial malfeasance. A former employee said the team kept two sets of books to conceal revenue that was supposed to be shared with all 32 N.F.L. clubs. The House committee forwarded the accusation to federal regulators.

• Personal attacks. The committee also found that Snyder had tried to interfere with the N.F.L.’s first investigation, again by using private investigators, this time to harass and intimidate witnesses, and that he had sought to deflect blame onto Bruce Allen, the longtime team president whom he fired in 2019.

• Longstanding resistance to changing the team name. For years, Snyder rejected pressure to change the name of the franchise from the Redskins, long considered a racist slur. He relented in 2020 during a national reckoning over race because of pressure from, among others, FedEx, whose name is on the team’s stadium. The franchise went by the Washington Football Team before adopting the Commanders nickname ahead of this season.

Snyder’s staying power

The allegations against Snyder have prompted recurring negative headlines for the N.F.L., which is a deeply image-conscious organization.

Snyder has shown no signs of selling the team. Can the league force his hand? Removing Snyder would require a vote by 24 of the league’s 32 clubs, generally a high bar to clear. Some owners are awaiting the results of the ongoing investigations, yet they are also mindful that Snyder has been unable to secure government subsidies to help him build a new stadium. Local lawmakers have cited the turmoil at the club as a reason for backing away from a deal.

You may be wondering: Could a stadium really matter more than accusations of misconduct? That priority for some owners reveals a cynical reality of the N.F.L.: Most everything comes down to money.

Related: The N.F.L. has dealt with many off-field crises. Here’s how it stays popular.

THE LATEST NEWS

Politics

• Voters believe American democracy is in peril but are apathetic about the danger, a Times/Siena College poll found.

• Right-wing leaders are preparing people to aggressively monitor and challenge midterm elections.

• The Trump Organization charged the Secret Service exorbitant rates — more than $1.4 million — to stay at its hotels while protecting Donald Trump and his family.

• More than eight million Americans have applied for student debt forgiveness since applications became available yesterday.

• In last night’s Utah Senate debate, Evan McMullin, an independent, criticized Senator Mike Lee for supporting Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Lee denied wrongdoing.

• Here are takeaways from last night’s debates for governor of Georgia and for the Senate in Ohio.

War in Ukraine

• Russian missiles struck Kyiv this morning, apparently targeting energy infrastructure. Cities across Ukraine are dealing with power outages.

• “What comes from this is unity.” Ukrainians are responding with defiance to the attacks on Kyiv.

• Russia and Iran are turning to each other for support, an alliance built on hostility toward the U.S.

Other Big Stories

• Flooding in Nigeria linked to climate change has displaced more than a million people and killed at least 600 others.

• Xi Jinping, China’s leader, is pushing for more state control of businesses.

• The police said they had found the dismembered bodies of four men who disappeared in Oklahoma.

• Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the failed start-up Theranos who’s waiting to be sentenced for fraud, asked for a new trial after a witness visited her at home.

• The seven pop stars of the South Korean band BTS said they would serve their military conscriptions. They plan to regroup in 2025.

• Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize for “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida,” a novel about the trauma of war in Sri Lanka.

Opinions

Britain’s Liz Truss may limp on, but her prime ministership is finished, Tanya Gold writes.

She sought a tax break for her reindeer-herding dog. The Swedish government’s treatment of Indigenous cultures stood in her way, Maria Fredriksson argues.

Fantasy and science fiction let us explore the differences among people, N.K. Jemisin argues on “The Ezra Klein Show.”

MORNING READS

“Completely ignored”: Half the world has a clitoris. Why don’t doctors study it?

Well: A guide to hearing aids, which are now available over the counter.

“Shut it down!” A Washington Post critic pans the new restaurant from Jon Taffer of “Bar Rescue.”

Advice from Wirecutter: Get toasty with flannel sheets.

Lives Lived: James McDivitt commanded NASA’s first spacewalk mission and took part in the first crewed orbital flight of a lunar module. He died at 93.

SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC

Yankees and Guardians rained out: Inclement weather in New York forced the decisive Game 5 of the A.L.D.S. to shift to today.

Chargers limp to win: Dustin Hopkins nailed a 39-yard field goal in overtime, despite clearly being injured, to give Los Angeles a 19-16 win against the Broncos.

N.B.A. starts tonight: The Sixers and Celtics open the season after months of league drama. Here are season predictions from The Athletic and a team-by-team preview from The Times.

ARTS AND IDEAS

Holiday treats

Diwali, the South Asian festival of lights, is prime time for mithai, or sweets. At Brij Mohan Indian Sweets and Restaurant in Sharonville, Ohio, cooks work from morning till night for the holiday. “We don’t close for three days,” said Saakhi Grover, an assistant manager.

In The Times, Priya Krishna profiles five shops — each serving a U.S. metro area with a growing South Asian community — that make mithai by hand. From spongy rasgula and deep-fried kaja to colorful burfi topped with edible silver foil, the photos are mouthwatering.

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

What to Cook

Pair these Indian corn pakoras with a flavorful mango-tamarind chutney (and here are more Diwali recipes).

What to Watch

Dwayne Johnson plays a lot of muscular good guys. In “Black Adam,” he’s ready to be an antihero.

What to Read

Ralph Macchio’s memoir explores how playing Daniel LaRusso in “The Karate Kid” has shaped his life.

Now Time to Play

The pangram from yesterday’s Spelling Bee was touched. Here is today’s puzzle.

Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Building wing (five letters).

And here’s today’s Wordle. After, use our bot to get better.

Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow.

P.S. Slate’s Lowen Liu is joining The Times as The Upshot’s deputy editor.

Here’s today’s front page.

“The Daily” is about housing in Florida.

Matthew Cullen, Lauren Hard, Lauren Jackson, Claire Moses, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Tom Wright-Piersanti and Ashley Wu contributed to The Morning. You can reach the team at themorning@nytimes.com.

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