SNYDER SET TO BECOME SOLE OWNER,
Dan Snyder will soon be the sole owner of the Washington Football Team.
Snyder is buying out the team’s minority owners in a move that gives him total control and should end a lengthy, bitter court dispute along with any speculation that he’d be pushed to sell his boyhood team he bought in 1999.
An NFL spokesman on Wednesday confirmed that Snyder’s application for a debt waiver of $450 million was approved by the league’s finance committee and that the deal is pending approval from team owners. Three-quarters, or 24 of 32 teams, need to sign off during a vote at the annual league meeting next week to make it official.
Multiple messages seeking comment that were left for the team, a public relations firm representing Snyder and lawyers representing the minority owners were not immediately returned.
Fred Smith, Dwight Schar and Bob Rothman currently own 40.5 percent of Washington Football Inc. They sued Snyder in federal court in Maryland in November, seeking an injunction to allow them to sell their shares of the team.
This effectively settles that matter and puts Snyder completely in charge of the team, which Forbes most recently valued at $3.5 billion. Washington is in the midst of an organizational upheaval after dropping its name last year and launching an independent investigation into allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace by several former employees.
Amid the allegations was a report that Snyder himself was involved, which he denied. Snyder separately vowed to change the “culture” around the organization.
■ COLTS: T.Y. Hilton tested the free-agent market and came to the same conclusion he made last summer — he wanted to stay in Indianapolis.
So on Wednesday, the longtime Colts receiver agreed to a one-year contract worth $10 million and $8 million in guaranteed money.
“One thing i kno about this city. Is that they love me. And i love them,” Hilton wrote on Twitter, confirming the deal. “I listen to all the songs. I read all the tweets. I will cherish this forever. It’s only right i finish what i started. #TYISHOME.”
The four-time Pro Bowler ranks third in franchise history in yards receiving (9,360), trailing only Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison and Hall of Fame finalist Reggie Wayne. His 608 career receptions are fourth on the team’s career list behind Harrison, Wayne and Hall of Famer Raymond Berry and he’s tied with Jimmy Orr for fourth in touchdown receptions (50).
■ BUCCANEERS: Defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh has agreed to a one-year contract worth $9 million to remain with the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the agreement, as well as a salary-cap friendly extension given to offensive lineman Donovan Smith, had not been announced by the Bucs.
Smith, who was to earn $14.25 million in 2021, agreed to a two-year, $31 million extension that frees space under the salary cap as general manager Jason Licht continues the team’s effort to keep as much of a championship roster together as possible.
The left tackle, who including playoffs started 19 of 20 games last season, joins Tom Brady in negotiating extensions that improve the prospects of keeping several high-profile players from leaving the team via free agency.
It’s the third straight winter Suh has agreed to a one-year deal with the Bucs, who’ve led the NFL in run defense each of the past two seasons. He earned $10 million in 2019 and $8.5 million in 2020.