Dec. 8 (UPI) — The Committee on Oversight and Reform released the report on its yearlong investigation into the Washington Commanders’ workplace environment, abusive actions by owner Daniel Snyder and the NFL’s mishandling of allegations.
The 79-page report released Thursday confirms years worth of accusations about what the committee calls a “decades-long toxic workplace culture,” that has been rampant throughout the organization. Acts of bullying and sexual harassment were not only permitted by owner Daniel Snyder, but engaged in by him.
The findings relating specifically to Snyder are abundant.
In 2020, the team was involved in an investigation into claims of sexual harassment, conducted by attorney Beth Wilkinson. Snyder oversaw the investigation before the NFL took it over about a month after it started. Throughout the investigation, Snyder led a separate “shadow investigation,” having former employees followed and their actions documented.
Former team president Bruce Allen, who was followed by private investigators at his home in Arizona, testified that Snyder spoke of plans to use similar scare tactics against other individuals, including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Snyder made efforts to limit Wilkinson’s investigation, including enlisting the organization’s former general counsel Dave Donovan to block her from disclosing information about a 2009 sexual assault case by suing her in federal court.
Snyder is also accused of offering hush money to former employees throughout the Wilkinson investigation.
“The Committee’s report is the product of a comprehensive investigation during which we peeled back layers of misconduct, blame-shifting and obstruction,” said Subcommittee Chairman Raja Krishnamoorthi.
“Beyond the evidence of egregious misconduct at the Commanders with little regard for victims, our report reveals the extreme lengths to which a single owner went to cover up wrongdoing.”
Snyder was also at the center of several aggravated incidences of coordinated sexual harassment directed at female employees and cheerleaders. He is accused of inappropriately touching former cheerleader Tiffani Johnston during a work dinner, then trying to push her into a limo before witnesses intervened. Johnston testified that Snyder put her in a “compromising sexual position” and told her to remain silent about it.
Snyder allegedly directed a video production employee to produce a video with “sexually suggestive” footage of cheerleaders who were not knowing participants. He regularly had investors and team sponsors invited to cheerleader calendar shoots and allowed friends to “gawk” at cheerleaders from the press box during auditions.
During one photo shoot in 2013, held in Costa Rica, sponsors and suite holders were given “up-close access” to the cheerleaders. The cheerleaders were told to act as “personal escorts” for the men when they later went to a nightclub.
“Rather than conduct an independent investigation into these claims, the NFL deferred responsibility to the Commanders, whose owner had personally promoted the practices under investigation, stating that the NFL ‘has no role in how the clubs which have cheerleaders utilize them,'” the report said.
When other team employees were alleged to have committed acts of sexual harassment or assault, such as a member of the coaching staff who was accused of groping a female employee, Snyder is said to have turned a blind eye.
The report indicated that the NFL knew about the workplace culture in Snyder’s organization, including his own involvement, for many years. The committee finds that the league misled the public about the Wilkinson investigation and continues to “minimize workplace misconduct across the league.”
“Today’s report reflects the damning findings of the Committee’s yearlong investigation and shows how one of the most powerful organizations in America, the NFL, mishandled pervasive sexual harassment and misconduct at the Washington Commanders,” said Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney.
“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.”
Incidents of sexual harassment and racial discrimination within other organizations in the NFL were also included in the report, including the Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders.
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