If Daniel Snyder did indeed reconsider his decision not to testify before the US House Oversight & Reform Committee on Wednesday, he ended up making the same decision as before. Chances are he didn’t spend any time reconsidering his position at all.

Via Mark Maske of Washington Post, Snyder’s attorney sent a letter to the Committee regarding Friday’s request that Snyder reconsider his decision not to testify and make himself available instead. A Committee spokesperson replied: “His refusal to testify sends an unequivocal signal that Mr. Snyder has something to hide and is afraid to tell the truth to the American public and address the key worker protection issues facing the NFL.

That there is something to hide has been evident since last July 1, when the NFL hid all the facts developed during a 10-month investigation by attorney Beth Wilkinson, instead trotting out an argument ridiculous that because some current or former employees wanted anonymity, everything about the investigation must remain secret.

Once Jon Gruden’s emails went public, it became untenable for him to stay as Raiders coach. If/when specific facts gathered or recommendations developed by Wilkinson become public, it would most likely become untenable for Snyder to retain ownership of the Commanders. That is why, in my opinion, everything has been hidden.

From Snyder’s perspective, the consequences of not appearing to testify are better for him than the consequences of actually showing up. Even without Snyder, Commissioner Roger Goodell will appear and testify. It will be interesting to see if the various members of the committee are able to dig down to the truth and unravel the spurious defense that Big Shield has used to protect Snyder and, in turn, to ensure that the other owners do not don’t have to worry that a complaint from a disgruntled employee will escalate into a blunt audit of the company that could force that owner to sell as well.