Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Football Team, said he was the victim of an extortion campaign by one of the franchise’s minority owners, according to a lawsuit on Wednesday in Maryland.
Snyder made the request a day after a Washington Post story reported more details of a $ 1.6 million deal the franchise paid a former employee because of an allegation of sexual misconduct in 2009.
Snyder’s lawsuit in the United States District Court in southern Maryland said one of the team’s minority partners, Dwight Schar, was trying to force him to sell the franchise.
“I firmly believe that the Claimants’ motion and supplementary filing and the news articles they generated are the latest in the effort to extort me,” the filing said.
The New York Times had reported on the deal last weekend. On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that it received a copy of the agreement and, citing an anonymous source, said it originated from an incident on Snyder’s plane while returning from the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas.
In Snyder’s lawsuit on Wednesday, he said: “The Post’s article includes several quotes from the lawsuit that give the misleading impression, based on the Claimants’ position and status, that there was merit to the allegations of misconduct. Claimants in filing their supplement filing are now clear: to try to continue to defame me in an effort to gain an advantage in this trade dispute. “
The New York Times had reported on Sunday that two investigations in 2009 – by the team and an outside law firm – failed to substantiate the former employee’s claim. The newspaper reported that Snyder paid the amount to avoid any negative publicity. Furthermore, in the Snyder agreement, neither anyone else, admitted irregularities.
Snyder’s filing alleges that no evidence of wrongdoing was found after an investigation by a law firm.
“Even so, Claimant Schar threatened to reveal to discredit and embarrass my family, but the insurer decided to negotiate,” said Snyder, according to the lawsuit.
In two stories this summer, the Post reported that a total of 40 women said they had been sexually harassed while working for the franchise. The vehicle also reported that there were “obscene videos produced by the cheerleaders’ calendar filming team in 2008 and 2010.” Snyder said he did not know about these videos.
The stories coincide with Snyder’s three minority partners, Schar, Fred Smith and Bob Rothman, wanting to sell their shares. They own 40% of the team. Snyder reportedly offered to buy the shares for $ 900 million. According to Forbes, the Washington franchise is valued at $ 3.5 billion; in a team sale, 40% would be worth $ 1.4 billion.
The NFL is conducting an independent investigation into the allegations in the Post’s articles. On Tuesday, the league announced that former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch would join the investigation, focusing on Schar’s alleged role in the information leak.
Snyder claimed in previous documents that Schar was behind some of the negative information included in the articles. On Wednesday, his filing stated that “Dwight Schar channeled information about me and the team to Mary Ellen Blair, a former executive assistant on the team, to be provided to The Washington Post.”
According to Snyder, Blair made a statement that Schar told her to share information with the Washington Post. Snyder’s lawsuit alleged that Schar’s daughter bought a “burner phone” for Blair to “try to escape detection by Mr. Schar’s conspiracy communications”. He cited “countless calls” from that phone to Schar’s cell phone number.
Snyder said there had been repeated threats from Schar and others associated with him over the past five months. Snyder said Schar threatened “my personal lawyer” in a July 25 conversation.
Snyder said Schar told his lawyer that the information would come out if he didn’t sell the team, that the story “will kill Dan”.
A text by the investment banker of minority owners, John Moag, suggested what could happen if Snyder did not cooperate: “And you know it has nothing to do with the media s — … it is the most serious – if you want a s — show, we are there too. “
Moag confirmed to other media that the text was correct.
On January 7, there will be a virtual hearing before U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte on each side’s allegation that the other side is leaking information to the media. According to the Post, Snyder, Schar, Rothman and Smith are expected to attend. Snyder denied in his lawsuit that he was the source of any confidential information.
“I am fighting on several fronts for interests that go beyond me, including the team I love, as well as my family,” said Snyder in the process, “and I can swear to this Court that the accusations to which I leaked information to the press are false. . “