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Legal issues not expected to stop Commanders sale vote

The vote is expected to happen at the next NFL owners' meeting on July 20.

WASHINGTON — There is new information about issues surrounding the sale of the Washington Commanders. A report published by the Washington Post says issues in legal negotiation between outgoing owner Dan Snyder and the National Football League "threaten to complicate approval" of the $6.05 billion sale to the Josh Harris Group. 

However, a source with knowledge of the situation told WUSA9 Sports Director Darren Haynes that it will not impact the vote on team ownership scheduled for July 20. Things are moving forward with the transition to the new group as planned, the source said.

The Post says the complications are related to the leaking of emails from the Wilkinson report, the NFL's first investigation into the Washington franchise's toxic workplace culture and Snyder. Those emails led to Jon Gruden resigning as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. 

The article goes on to say that Snyder's legal team is arguing that Snyder should not be held responsible for any legal liability from those actions. While Snyder is not trying to get the league or other owners to guarantee he won't be liable down the road, the complications relate to the willingness of Snyder and his family to indemnify the league and other owners against liability related to the Gruden case. 

A source familiar with the communication between the Commanders and the NFL says that's not true, and Snyder has already testified before the House Oversight Committee and said he had nothing to do with the leaked Gruden emails.

Dan Snyder is not the only person holding things up. Michelle Snyder, Dan's sister, and a part owner of the team, is not willing to agree to a guarantee that other team owners won't face legal liability over the leaked emails, according to The Post.

A team source said that's false, too. When reached for comment, the NFL offered none. 

The vote on the future of Commanders ownership will take place July 20 in Minneapolis. WUSA9's Sharla McBride will be there. Twenty-four of the league's 31 owners will need to vote in favor of the sale to make it official. 

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