At a time when plenty of people despise him, Commanders owner Daniel Snyder arguably continues to be his own worst enemy.
Case in point: By refusing to voluntarily appear and testify before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight & Reform, Snyder has put himself in position to face a far more rigorous interrogation, with potentially more dire consequences.
Liz Clarke and Mark Maske of the Washington Post take a closer look at the ramifications of Snyder’s refusal to testify without a subpoena, which starts with the vow made twice on Wednesday by Committee chairperson Carolyn Maloney that Snyder will be subpoenaed to give a deposition before the Committee.
Testifying on Wednesday along with Commissioner Roger Goodell would have been shorter, simpler, cleaner. A behind-closed-door deposition with lawyers present will last longer. It will cover more topics. It will be more contentious. It will include more opportunities for Snyder to deliberate or accidentally tell something other than the truth, opening the door for potential prosecution.
And if he defies the subpoena, he’s looking at near-certain criminal jeopardy.
Putting it simply, Snyder refused to do it the easy way. He will soon experience the hard way.
After Wednesday’s hearing, one of the members of the Oversight Committee directed some hard truths to Snyder.
“We’re living in a time where there are people who feel like they’re above the law,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said, via Clarke and Maske. “Unfortunately, that sense of impunity and arrogance is a bit of a social contagion these days. . . . Perhaps Dan Snyder was taking his cues from those who think they are somehow above the representatives of the people in Congress.”
Yes, Snyder’s best play at this point would be to submit to the authority of the Committee. Unfortunately, guys like Snyder don’t like to submit to the authority of anyone but themselves. Especially when submission includes potentially having to admit to all sorts of things that could create various forms of trouble for him.
Really, that’s his choice at this point. Show up and face the consequences, or don’t show up and face the consequences. Tell the truth and face the consequences, or don’t tell the truth and face the consequences.
In this Summer of Accountability as it relates to other matters in Washington, a much more overdue reckoning my finally be arriving for Daniel Snyder.
