Are Dan Snyder’s days as Commanders owner numbered amid NFL pushback?

The Washington Commanders‘ Feb. 2 rebrand was met with folks pegging it as the start of a new era. With a new nickname, a largely fetching uniform set, an updated logo and a new team crest, that description was spot-on.

However, the reason fans haven’t been able to fully buy into the new era is because a large shadow from their past just won’t go away.

That shadow, as you might have guessed, is team owner Dan Snyder.

Twenty-three long years of ownership; one that has been reduced to a part-time role that focuses on a new stadium and “other matters”while his wife Tanya oversees day-to-day operations as a result of an independent investigation launched on the franchise’s toxic workplace culture that unfolded under his watch.

Snyder has brought — and continues to bring — great shame to Washington, its passionate fans and most recently, the NFL. Despite seemingly always being embroiled in controversy, the 57-year-old’s seat in Landover has been stationed worry-free for as long as we can remember.

After what has felt like a lifetime, is Snyder’s reign finally treading water? The question fans have been begging to ask is now pertinent.

The reason it feels real? The NFL is starting to push back against his antics.

Could Dan Snyder be on his way out as Commanders owner?

It’s no secret, though the NFL would suggest otherwise, that the league has bent over backwards to keep Snyder in office (in accordance with other owners, obviously). The pile of evidence is damning, but the league has insisted on playing dumb.

The fact Snyder didn’t receive a stricter punishment stemming from Beth Wilkerson’s 10-month investigation just proves our point. A $10 million fine and unofficially suspending him without having a way to confirm he was actually letting Tanya assume day-to-day responsibilities was nowhere near enough.

In explaining why the details remain under a cloak, commissioner Roger Goodell regrettably noted that the league aimed to protect the anonymity of the victims who supported the investigation and shared their stories.

Bottom line? The NFL’s hands are far from clean.

However, Snyder might have overplayed his hand when he hired an independent investigative team to look into the allegations levied against him by former team employee Tiffani Johnston before a congressional committee on Feb. 3.

The NFL has since commandeered the investigation, and Roger Goodell appeared to set the tone for this latest run-in with Washington’s owner by delivering an abrasive response at Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday.

"We’ll do an investigation. We’ve said from Day One that we will look into this. … I do not see any way a team can do its own investigation of itself. That’s something we would do and we would do with an outside expert that would help us come to the conclusion of what the facts were, what truly happened, so we can make the right decision from there. We’ll treat that seriously."

Goodell has remained true to his word. And it all dates back to when someone leaked emails sent by Jon Gruden to former Washington president and GM Bruce Allen, which itself led to a Congressional investigation.

Long story short, a former team employee who didn’t cooperate in the initial investigation told her story, triggering a new investigation, which has caused the NFL to accuse Snyder of impeding the Congressional investigation.

According to the Washington Post, the league sent a letter to Snyder’s team of investigators accusing them of withholding documents. Those documents are reportedly in the custody of a third-party vendor stemming from the Wilkerson investigation.

"“That vendor refused to provide the NFL or even (the law firm of) Wilkinson Stekloff with access to the documents unless the team consented because of its concern that it could be sued by the team or its owner,” NFL attorneys wrote in a letter obtained by the Post. “The NFL promptly directed the team to provide its consent to the vendor, but the team repeatedly has refused to do so.”"

“The team repeatedly has refused to do so.”

Sure sounds like Goodell and the NFL are getting sick of Snyder’s charade. In other words, the longtime owner might need to start worrying more about the league than Congress. If he doesn’t, while continuing to push his luck as it pertains to this latest investigation, it could be the beginning of the end of his reign in Landover.