Why has the NFL stayed silent despite Commanders sale agreement?

Why has the NFL stayed noticeably silent despite Dan Snyder agreeing to sell the Washington Commanders to the group led by Josh Harris?

Despite the rumored offer from Brian Davis of $7 billion, the legitimacy of this offer has been severely questioned. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the $6.05 billion from the ownership group led by Josh Harris, Mitchell Rales, and Magic Johnson remains the only concrete offer Dan Snyder accepted for the Washington Commanders.

So far, in any case.

The non-exclusive term was used frequently when the news became public. Perhaps Snyder was hoping someone would swoop in at the 11th hour and give him more money before riding off into the sunset.

As it stands now, Harris’ group has one hand on the Commanders. The process has to through the league’s finance committee and get formal approval from other owners, but it looks to be a relative formality given how most want Snyder gone by any means necessary.

Insider reveals why NFL has stayed silent amid Commanders sale

Despite the untold excitement of Snyder finally relinquishing power once and for all, the NFL has yet to comment about an accepted bid. This does appear strange from the outside looking in, but Peter King revealed the likely reason in his weekly Football Morning in America column via NBC Sports.

"“I know why the NFL won’t comment on the process or on (Dan) Snyder. They’re shut up so tight because all they want is for Snyder to go away, and they don’t want to leak anything that would potentially interrupt the transition of ownership.”"

Snyder is petty and unpredictable. So as far as the league is concerned, staying quiet represents the best possible chance of avoiding any unnecessary complications that could threaten the sale – even if there doesn’t appear any way back into the NFL’s good graces for the billionaire after two decades of misery, scandal, and everything in between.

There are also ongoing investigations surrounding Snyder that must be taken into account. It’s unlikely the sale will prevent any subsequent ramifications, so treading extremely carefully beforehand might be the only way those who’ve suffered under the Commanders’ outgoing owner will get the justice they deserve.

King also revealed that Snyder feels abandoned by the league despite offering almost nothing since buying the franchise for $800 million. So if he can make things more difficult than they need to be, he probably will out of spite if nothing else.

"“(Dan) Snyder, feeling abandoned by the NFL, really doesn’t care about the league anymore. He’s always thought owning the NFL franchise in Washington was a lifetime get-out-of-jail-free card. Now that he knows it isn’t, why should he do the league any favors by bowing out gracefully?”"

Fans have already begun celebrating, which is their right after everything they’ve been put through on and off the field throughout Snyder’s tenure. The Harris group has a lot of work ahead, but their infrastructure, collective financial clout and previous experience with successful sporting franchises easily make this a slam dunk if everything checks out.

Snyder won’t be missed and will go down as arguably the worst owner in NFL history. And that, for a man with such an ego, will be the biggest sting of all.