Dan Snyder's fall as the owner of Washington Commanders cannot be attributed to just one moment.

But one of the most pivotal points of his demise was when the Wall Street Journal published an article on Oct. 8, 2021, with emails between former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and former Washington executive Bruce Allen that contained racist remarks toward then-NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith. Those emails, which were from Gruden's time as an analyst for ESPN in 2011, kickstarted a chain of events that began with Gruden's resignation/firing and sped up the process that eventually ended with Snyder selling the team.

If not for those emails being leaked, some believe Snyder might still own the Commanders, according to a report from ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham. Snyder had already been suspended by the NFL after multiple allegations of workplace misconduct and sexual harassment, but the emergence of the emails led to a congressional investigation into Snyder, the NFL and the Commanders.