Washington Commanders proprietor Daniel Snyder remained in a foreign country on Wednesday, for what his legal professional referred to as a “longstanding Commanders-related business conflict.”
Simultaneously, in a Capitol Hill listening to room, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confronted the House Oversight Committee to reply questions concerning the Commanders’ office culture that included sexual harassment and intimidation, former staff have testified.
“Rather than show up and take responsibility for his actions, he chose to skip town,” stated Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., who chairs the committee. “Apparently, Mr. Snyder is in France, where he has docked his luxury yacht near a resort town. That should tell you just how much respect he has for women in the workplace.”
Prior to the listening to, the committee launched a 29-page memorandum describing its investigation into the membership, the NFL’s information of the staff culture and the extent of Snyder’s involvement in “crating and fostering the Commanders’ toxic workplace.”
Here are 5 takeaways from the memorandum and Goodell’s opening assertion.
Did Dan Snyder learn about Commanders’ office culture?
Simply, sure.
One instance from the memorandum: Former Washington chief working officer David Pauken testified that after Snyder discovered a member of the teaching employees groped a staff worker, Snyder prevented motion towards the coach and directed the worker to “stay away from the coach.”
Another worker described to the committee a culture of “glorified drinking and womanizing.”
Snyder carried out shadow investigations into reporters, ex-team staff
The committee revealed that proof obtained confirmed Snyder and his attorneys carried out shadow investigations into Washington Post reporters who uncovered malpractice and former staff blowing the whistle on the group.
That included a 100-slide PowerPoint file presenting the details about the journalists and former staff. Snyder additionally focused the legislation corporations representing the ex-employees, in keeping with the memorandum.
Dan Snyder, Commanders tried to intimidate witnesses
The NFL tapped legal professional Beth Wilkinson and her legislation agency to conduct an investigation into the office culture in July 2020. The league didn’t launch the findings publicly, saying Wilkinson offered an oral report.
The NFL knew that Snyder’s attorneys had direct entry to the NFL and Wilkinson’s investigation and used data, in keeping with the committee’s findings. The former Commanders staff who spoke out stated “Snyder’s use of private investigators intimidated them and discouraged them from participating in the Wilkinson Investigation.”
That intimidation additionally included an funding banker, John Moag, who represented the staff’s minority homeowners as they tried to promote their stake within the staff, per the committee.
NFL delayed findings of Beth Wilkinson’s investigation
The NFL was briefed on Wilkinson’s findings a complete of 16 occasions with at the very least 4 written briefings. Those briefings passed off between Aug. 26, 2020 and June 28, 2021.
Goodell was briefed twice, each orally — as soon as on March 2, 2021 and once more on April 26 of that yr, in keeping with the memorandum.
The NFL launched the findings on July 1, 2021.
Wrote the Committee: “The evidence uncovered by the Committee casts doubt on the sufficiency of the NFL’s response to the Wilkinson Investigation findings and underscores the need for the League and the team to fully cooperate with the Committee’s investigation.”
Goodell’s opening assertion stated the NFL didn’t obtain a written report “for compelling reasons” to guard confidentiality of staff, present and former.
Roger Goodell acknowledges ‘unprofessional’ ‘unacceptable’ office culture
Goodell talked about the $10 million nice levied towards the Commanders and elimination of Snyder from “day-to-day operations” of the membership. He additionally touted the share of girls employed throughout the league in 2021 and the NFL’s prioritization of “diversity, equity and inclusion.”
“We have been open and direct about the fact that the workplace culture at the Commanders was not only unprofessional, but toxic for far too long,” Goodell stated.
