John Keim spoke with ESPN investigative reporter Seth Wickersham concerning the explosive report last week regarding Commanders owner Daniel Snyder.
It’s a great listen, and here are a few excerpts as well from Wickersham.
JK: “How many were interviewed for the story?”
“It was around 30, and then we added some more on top of that (later). I’m not exactly sure, so it was between 30 and 40.”
“We are under no pressure to deliver a story by a certain time.”
“When that (stadium in Virginia) all fell apart, and he had no other options for a stadium, outside of paying for it himself somehow, that to me is when the flare lights went on.”
“I knew when the stadium became a non-option, I knew that his peers, the owners, who will ultimately decide a bunch of this with him, would be enraged and upset by it because it is going to cost them money.”
JK: What surprised you most in the reporting from your end?
SW: “How aware everybody was that Snyder told people that he had collected so much dirt, bragged about the dirt and seemed defiant in a moment where he seems weakened and how not surprised owners and others were that Snyder had bragged about employing a private investigator.”
“Maybe these are scare tactics or a bluff .. with Dan Snyder it was yes, we are all aware of that, and no, we are not shocked at all.”
“They (owners) are angry and what we reported in our story about him losing Jerry Jones and about how Jones has told Dan personally that he might not be able to protect him, that stuff is accurate.”
“I don’t know who is the most powerful owner. There was an executive joking that it was Dan Snyder who is the most powerful owner because the owners don’t want to do anything. Jerry is certainly one of the more influential ones, and he tends to get his way when he wants something.”
“If they were to call a vote on Tuesday, questioning Snyder’s ownership, if they didn’t get 24 voters, which is the requisite they would need, Dan would find out everyone who voted for him. So, they want to be as careful as they possibly can; however, it happens, whenever it happens.”
