Time running out for the Snyders?

It was less than three weeks ago that Dan Snyder dug in his heels and told the world he wouldn’t be selling the Commanders.

“We are confident that, when he has an opportunity to see the actual evidence in this case, Mr. [Jim] Irsay will conclude that there is no reason for the Snyders to consider selling the franchise,” the team said in a statement. “And they won’t.”

Except now they might. In a shocking announcement Wednesday, Snyder confirmed a report from Forbes that he has retained Bank of America Securities to “consider potential transactions,” a.k.a. selling the team.

Snyder’s statement was vague about whether he intends to sell the entire team or a minority share. In 2021, he bought out his minority partners for the remaining 40.5 percent share, but the NFL had to grant Snyder a waiver of its debt limit in order to make it happen.

But the walls may be closing in on Snyder this time. Irsay, the Colts owner, has gone on a public crusade to encourage his fellow owners to consider voting Snyder out of the league (it would require 24 of the 31 other owners). ESPN reported last month that Snyder “lost” a supporter in Jerry Jones, and Sports Business Journal reported this past week that several owners have privately told commissioner end Roger Goodell that Snyder needs to go.

And perhaps not coincidentally, on the same day that Snyder announced he may sell the team, ESPN reported that the US attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia has opened a criminal investigation over allegations of deceptive business practices, including misreporting ticket revenue. Snyder could be the NFL’s Al Capone, going down not for his main crime — creating a disgusting workplace culture of sexual harassment and misogyny — but for cooking the books.

Commander fans would throw a parade down Constitution Avenue if Snyder sold the team after 24 years of disastrous ownership. Snyder almost certainly would receive a record price, surpassing the $4.6 billion spent on the Broncos this past summer.

Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos confirmed to his newspaper that he is interested. The NFL surely is enticed by billionaires who can just cut a check, but the league also is desirous of improving its minority record among ownership, which could give a leg up to an investment group run by Black entertainment moguls Byron Allen or Jay-Z.