Report: NFL could take unprecedented step with Dan Snyder
The NFL and Washington Commanders agreed last week not to disclose information involving the investigation of sexual harassment claims against owner Daniel Snyder, per a report. But regardless of what the NFL and its constituents decide to disclose, Snyder’s future with the Commanders seems grim, at best.
According to a report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the NFL and the Washington Commanders may not disclose further information, but NFL owners are of the belief that as more information comes to light, Snyder could very well be forced by the league to sell the Commanders team.
“The NFL has kept the result of that investigation completely secret. In fact, the league didn’t even ask Attorney Beth Wilkinson to prepare a written report,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said on NBC Sports’ pregame show. “I’m told that if she had, one of her recommendations would have indeed been that owner Daniel Snyder be required to sell the team. More recently, Congress has been pushing the league and the team to provide more information publicly. In fact, earlier this week, the league and the team were scrambling over which documents would be given to Congress. 10 days ago, a former employee named Tiffany Johnston spoke to Congress and made allegations directly against owner Daniel Snyder, new allegations that had not been previously investigated. The league is now going to investigate those. I’m told that for the first time ever, there is a sense among ownership that the time may have come for Daniel Snyder to move on.”
When Snyder’s emails with Jon Gruden were leaked, many wondered whether there was more that the NFL could release from the investigation into Snyder, alleged sexual assault and workplace misconduct. However, the league, team and Snyder have been in frequent disputes over what might actually be released; at the moment, it seems unlikely that Washington will release more information on the findings.
NFL deal could have big impact in Daniel Snyder sexual harassment case
The NFL and Washington Commanders have agreed not to disclose information involving the investigation of sexual harassment claims against owner Daniel Snyder with consulting each other, per the Washington Post.
The document, labeled the “Common Interest Agreement” cites “common legal interests” between the team and league as the reason not to release details from the investigation, led by attorney Beth Wilkinson.
The news comes after dozens of women have come forward to share stories of being sexually harassed by team officials, with Snyder being at the forefront of the accusations.
The latest sexual harassment allegations against Daniel Snyder were aired on Capitol Hill on Thursday, where six former team employees detailed experiences of being demeaned, degraded and threatened during their tenure.
Former cheerleader and marketing manager Tiffani Johnston recalled having to fend off Snyder’s advances during and after a work dinner. Although Snyder denied Johnston’s claims, former team executive Jason Friedman, who attended the dinner, later corroborated them in a letter to the congressional committee.
Democrat representatives Carolyn B. Maloney and Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday. In it, they claim that the league and Washington team are trying to hide something not releasing information from the investigation.
“(The agreement) may have been intended to prevent the public release of certain information related to the investigation absent the agreement of both parties,” they wrote. “Meaning that either the WFT or the NFL could try to bury the findings of the investigation.”
The letter is in direct contrast to Goodell’s statement that the NFL “wanted to protect the privacy of the women who spoke to its investigators.”
Maloney and Krishnamoorthi went on to question the veracity of Goodell’s claims and set a Feb. 14 deadline for submitting “all documents pertinent to the Wilkinson investigation, as well as the Wilkinson findings.” If the NFL fails to comply, the House members wrote, they would seek “alternate means” of obtaining the documents.
Upon the conclusion of Wilkinson’s work, the NFL in July 2021 issued a four-page news release announcing that it was fining the team $10 million. It took no action against Snyder personally.
An attorney for Daniel Snyder denied that the agreement is an attempt to withhold information from the public. But Lisa Banks, an attorney for several former Washington employees, including the six who took part in the roundtable, disagreed, calling the investigation a fraud.
“The NFL and Daniel Snyder joined forces at the beginning of this investigation to pursue a joint legal strategy and declared a common interest in the outcome of the investigation,” Banks said. “Roger Goodell lied to the hundreds of women and men who came forward and to the public at large about the intentions behind the investigation, its supposed independence and the reasons for not releasing the findings. There must be consequences, and we will be reviewing any and all legal options available to our clients.”