The NFL's Dan Snyder Problem Is Back, With Congress Prepared To Pressure Roger Goodell On Washington's Workplace Harassment
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- In the middle of the summer of 2021, the NFL did its best to bury its Dan Snyder problem. Unfortunately for the league, it's back -- and Congress is involved.
The U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee held a roundtable discussion on Thursday, during which six former employees of Snyder's NFL franchise in the nation's capital -- now the Washington Commanders, formerly the Redskins and Washington Football Team -- detailed their personal histories with workplace harassment. Some of the allegations involved an employee being forced to make a video showing team cheerleaders while nude with a soundtrack set to Snyder's favorite bands, another employee claiming she was inappropriately touched on the thigh and lower back in separate incidents by Snyder, and another employee who was told in so many words that she'd lose her job if she reported harassment by a player.
The NFL never wanted these details to get into the public, and they made sure that their own "investigation" into the workplace culture and Snyder himself had no written report upon its conclusion last July. In the late afternoon of July 1 -- just before much of the nation kicked off its July 4 holiday weekend -- the league released a statement saying that the investigation determined that the team faced a $10 million fine for being guilty of the accusations levied against them regarding a toxic workplace culture that involved sexual harassment, bullying, and intimidation.
When pressed on why the details remained under the cloak of the NFL-sponsored "investigation," commissioner Roger Goodell told the media in October that the league sought to protect the anonymity of those victims who participated in the investigation and shared their stories. The problem was, many of those same victims said they did not want anonymity, and that they participated in the investigation so that the public would know about the misdeeds of the people in power in an effort to hold those people accountable.
"We don't think [we will release any details of the investigation]. We feel that this is the appropriate way to do it," Goodell said at the time. "We summarized the findings of Beth [Wilkinson] and made it very clear that the workplace environment at the Washington Football Team was not what we expect in the NFL and then held them accountable for that."
Of course, nobody was actually held accountable. The team paid the $10 million fine, which is the equivalent to the team having signed a decent guard for a season. Snyder stepped away "voluntarily" as the main decision-maker in the franchise for "several months" ... while elevating his wife to take over those duties as co-CEO.
The public never saw, read, or heard the lurid details shared by the victims during the course of that investigation. And thus, Snyder's reputation, money, and standing was spared.
That response from the NFL led Ana Nunez, a former coordinator of business development with the team, to conclude that "unless you have money, unless you have power, honestly unless you're white, you're powerless. You don't matter."
After Thursday's roundtable unearthed some accusations that had not been previously known to the public, Snyder painted the former employees as liars, while ensuring that team leadership won't be "distracted" by the serious claims of sexual harassment and workplace intimidation.
"While past conduct at the Team was unacceptable, the allegations leveled against me personally in today's roundtable -- many of which are well over 13 years old -- are outright lies," Snyder said in a statement. "I unequivocally deny having participated in any such conduct, at any time and with respect to any person. Tanya and I will not be distracted by those with a contrary agenda from continuing with the positive personnel and cultural changes that have been made at the Team over the past 18 months, and those that we continue to make both on and off the field."
The NFL -- the same NFL that took over the investigation into workplace culture with Snyder's team, only to hide the detailed results of that investigation from the public -- ensured that it will once again review the new claims that surfaced Thursday.
"The NFL is reviewing and will consider Ms. [Tiffani] Johnston's allegations as we would any other new allegations regarding workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. "We will determine any further action as appropriate. Today's testimony underscores that all employees deserve a workplace that is free from harassment of any kind and where they feel safe reporting misconduct."
It's frankly difficult to read that final sentence without scoffing, as the previous "investigation" determined that yes, Snyder and others involved in the Washington football operation were guilty of the accusations put forth by dozens of victims, but no, nobody would be held personally accountable for their misconduct. The only person who suffered any real consequences was Jon Gruden, who never worked for the Washington organization but whose emails containing homophobic and racist language led to him being fired as head coach of the Raiders.
While Goodell hid behind an imaginary request for anonymity from the victims last year, the actual victims have now publicly come out to put their names and faces on the accusations in an effort to expose those who allegedly committed the acts.
"When the investigation of the air pressure of Tom Brady's football concludes with a 200-plus-page report, but the investigation into two decades of sexual harassment concludes with nothing, it shows the NFL's complete lack of respect towards women, their employees and for the culture of our country," Emily Applegate, a former marketing employee of the team, said Thursday.
Now, it's up to Congress to atone for the NFL's attempt to sweep this major issue under the rug. It's unclear what, if anything, the committee will do after Thursday's meeting, but Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., made clear the intentions of the roundtable discussion.
"After we hear from these victims, we'll all be clear on one thing: to ensure real accountability -- and to stop workplace harassment in the future -- the NFL and WFT must release the findings of its own investigation," Krishnamoorthi said. "This is the beginning, not the end, of holding the rich and powerful accountable and protecting women across America from workplace sexual harassment. Recognizing the NFL's power and popularity, Roger Goodell said that we should hold the NFL to a higher standard. And starting with today's roundtable, we will."
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., stated that the report from the NFL's investigation "should be released," a message supported by Krishnamoorthi. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, was left without doubt that the testimony put forth on Thursday was truthful.
"The story that is being told today is very disturbing" Sessions said. "[There is] no question that what these witnesses have said is not only factually correct but very despicable. ... No one would be above the law, even if you're in the NFL."
We'll find out the truth of that statement in the coming days, weeks, and perhaps months.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
