No matter what happens on the football field, the focus surrounding the Washington Commanders is seemingly always on the turmoil surrounding Daniel Snyder and the overall running of the franchise. The Commanders again find themselves at the center of controversy after the team invoked running back Brian Robinson Jr.'s recent shooting in their response to the District of Columbia's Attorney General Karl Racine announcing that he will make a "major announcement" regarding the organization on Thursday afternoon.
While the Commanders' players have largely avoided publicly discussing the state of the franchise, cornerback Benjamin St-Juste recently said that a change within the organization would be beneficial.
"Since I arrived here, it's been a dark cloud over our organization," St-Jusge told French-language paper Le Journal de Quebec last week (translation via 106.7 The Fan). "Every time there is something good happening on the pitch, something bad is happening off it. It would give us great energy to have a fresh start and regain the confidence of the fans."
The NFL fined Snyder's franchise $10 million at the conclusion of their workplace misconduct investigation. The investigation was launched after The Washington Post report that included 15 former employees claiming that they were sexually harassed during their time with the franchise. A second report published in The Post cited interviews with over 100 employees who claimed Snyder "has presided over an organization in which women say they have been marginalized, discriminated against and exploited."
Snyder was also accused of attempting to use cheerleaders in inappropriate ways, including having inappropriate videos of cheerleader photoshoots created for him.
In February, six former employees of the franchise joined leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee for a roundtable discussion about workplace misconduct within the organization. The roundtable led to more accusations that included claims of inappropriate behavior by Snyder. The Oversight Committee's chairman and chairwoman believe the NFL "covered up" alleged misconducted from the six former employees prior to the league's investigation.
Amid this controversy, St-Juste may get his wish, as Snyder and the organization has hired representation to possibly consider selling the team. This comes after Colts owner Jim Irsay recently said that there would "potentially" be enough votes from NFL ownership to remove Snyder as owner. Twenty-four votes would be needed in order to remove any owner.
"Some of the things I've heard doesn't represent us at all," Irsay said. "I want the American public to know what we're about as owners. ... You can't shy away from the fact that, I believe it's in the best interest of the National Football League that we look at this squarely in the eyes and deal with it."
Meanwhile, coach Ron Rivera and his team continue to try to keep the focus on the field. After a slow start, Rivera's team is 4-5 entering Monday night's road game against the undefeated Eagles.
