The Washington Commanders for decades had a toxic workplace culture in which employees were subjected to sexual harassment and bullying, the House Oversight Committee said in a report released Thursday following its yearlong investigation.
What You Need To Know
- The Washington Commanders for decades had a toxic workplace culture in which employees were subjected to sexual harassment and bullying, the House Oversight Committee said in a report released Thursday
- The Democratic-led panel also accused Commanders co-owner Daniel Snyder of permitting and participating in inappropritate conduct, but also obstructing its investigation
- The committee also alleged that the NFL helped conceal the team’s troubling work environment and failing to adequately hold the franchise accountable
- The panel launched the investigation in October 2021 after it said the NFL failed to release detailed findings from its own internal probe
The Democratic-led panel also accused Commanders co-owner Daniel Snyder of permitting and participating in inappropritate conduct, but also obstructing its investigation. The committee also alleged that the NFL helped conceal the team’s troubling work environment and failing to adequately hold the franchise accountable.
“Today’s report reflects the damning findings of the Committee’s year-long investigation and shows how one of the most powerful organizations in America, the NFL, mishandled pervasive sexual harassment and misconduct at the Washington Commanders,” the panel’s chairwoman, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said in a statement. “Our report tells the story of a team rife with sexual harassment and misconduct, a billionaire owner intent on deflecting blame, and an influential organization that chose to cover this up rather than seek accountability and stand up for employees.”
The panel launched the investigation in October 2021 after it said the NFL failed to release detailed findings from its own internal probe. That investigation, conducted by attorney Beth Wilkinson, found that, according to the committee, “bullying and intimidation, sexual harassment, and a culture of fear pervaded the Commanders organization for many years and that senior executives not only failed to stop it but engaged in inappropriate conduct themselves.” Snyder also interfered with that investigation, lawmakers said, by blocking information and intimidating, surveilling and paying off whistleblowers — actions of which the league was aware.
The House report says Snyder went to great lengths to avoid testifying, including seeking to dodge being served a subpoena while aboard his yacht. Snyder eventually sat for a private deposition but claimed more than 100 times that he could not recall the answers to questions, including basic details about his role as team owner, the committee said. Snyder also gave misleading answers about his alleged efforts to obstruct the Wilkinson investigation, according to the panel.
The committee said its findings are based in part on whistleblower accounts. The report makes some serious allegations, including that Snyder inappropriately touched a former employee at a work dinner and tried to push her into his limousine before onlookers stepped in, and that that a former employee was ordered to produce a video for Snyder of sexually suggestive footage of team cheerleaders without their knowledge.
The congressional report says Snyder apologized in his deposition for any workplace misconduct in the organization, but he also sought to blame others, including former team president Bruce Allen, and downplay reported incidents by claiming the stories were possibly orchestrated by a disgruntled former employee.
After the NFL investigation, the league fined the team $10 million and issued recommendations to improve the workplace, and Snyder relinquished his role in the day-to-day operations of the team.
But the House report says the “NFL has not protected workers from sexual harassment and abuse, has failed to ensure victims can speak out without fear of retaliation, and has not sought true accountability for those responsible, even after decades of misconduct.”
In response to the report, attorneys for the Commanders attacked congressional investigators.
“They were not interested in the truth, and were only interested in chasing headlines by pursuing one side of the story,” John Brownlee and Stuart Nash wrote in a statement, according to multiple reports. “… Today’s report does not advance public knowledge of the Washington Commanders workplace in any way. The team is proud of the progress it has made in recent years in establishing a welcoming and inclusive workplace, and it looks forward to future success, both on and off the field.”
The NFL did not immediately respond to a request from Spectrum News seeking comment Thursday. An NFL spokesman told ESPN the league had not yet seen the report.
Republican staff working for the Oversight Committee blasted the report in a memo to GOP panel members by Democrats of choosing to “weaponize the power of Congress against a single private workplace” and trying to force Snyder to sell the team, potentially to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
“The Democrats’ sham investigation into the Washington Commanders has been an egregious waste of taxpayer-funded resources,” the memo said. “From the beginning, Committee Democrats weaponized their power and pushed a one-sided investigation into a private company with no connection to the federal government. This entire charade has been an attempt to distract the American people from President Biden’s self-inflicted crises.”
The House report contends that “Congress has a responsibility to ensure all Americans are safe from sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace.”
Snyder’s ownership of the Commanders has come under increased pressure amid the NFL and House probes. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said in October that the league’s owners should consider removing Snyder as owner.
The Commanders announced last month that Snyder and his wife, Tanya, who co-owns the team, hired Bank of America Securities to consider potentially sell part or all of the franchise.
