DALLAS — A new lengthy and detailed report from ESPN on Thursday claimed Washington owner Dan Snyder has allegedly “tracked” other team owners and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and has "a file" on Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
The ESPN report says reporters spoke with more than 30 sources around the league who corroborated numerous stories about Snyder, including that he instructed his law firms to hire private investigators to get dirt on the league’s ownership group.
The new development with Snyder and Jones is note-worthy given the fact that Jones has publicly supported Snyder amid his team's ongoing scandals over the years, including the franchise being accused of sexual assault and a $5 million ticket fraud scheme.
Further details on what alleged "dirt" Snyder supposedly has on Jones was unclear, ESPN reported. A Commanders spokesperson and outside lawyers denied to ESPN that Snyder has hired or authorized private investigators to track another team's owner and league office executives, including Goodell.
The ESPN report also said that Jones allegedly has told confidants that he “might not be able” to protect Snyder any longer. Snyder also allegedly "badmouthed" Jones, telling another owner that he is "only out to get in your pocket. He'll sell you down the river. You can't trust him."
In the Commanders' statement, lawyers denied that Snyder's relationship with Jones has soured, saying he and Tanya Snyder "have a close and strong relationship with Jerry Jones and his entire family" and "great respect and admiration for one another," ESPN reported.
"We also understand that certain people believe their own interests will be advanced by convincing news outlets like ESPN to print false information about the Snyders and Joneses," the Holland & Knight lawyers said.
ESPN said it reached out to Jones, but he declined to comment. A Cowboys spokesperson also declined to comment for the story, according to ESPN.
Back in May, reports surfaced that the NFL owners were going to vote to remove Snyder from the league, however, the NFL and Goodell denied it. The NFL requires a two-thirds majority vote (24 out of 32 owners) to agree to remove an owner.
"He's backed into a corner," a veteran owner said of Snyder. "He's behaving like a mad dog cornered."
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