On Thursday morning, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform released a 79-page report revealing its findings in the 14-month investigation of Washington Redskins/Football Team/Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, and the toxic workplace environment Snyder was accused of facilitating.
From Mark Maske, Liz Clarke, and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post:
Snyder testified that the team informed the NFL in 2009 about allegations against him that led to a $1.6 million settlement with a former employee who accused him of sexual assault. That assertion stood in contrast to Goodell’s June testimony, during which he was asked whether the league was told of the allegation and replied, “I don’t recall him informing [the league] of that, no.” The report said the NFL subsequently “informed the Committee that the Team did not disclose the specific nature of this allegation to the NFL until more than 10 years later, in 2020” during an investigation conducted by attorney Beth Wilkinson. Wilkinson’s investigation prompted a July 2021 agreement negotiated by the league and Snyder, under which the team was fined $10 million and Snyder stepped away from the franchise’s daily operations.
There was much more in the report, entitled “Conduct Detrimental: How the NFL and the Washington Commanders Covered Up Decades of Sexual Misconduct.”
Snyder testified remotely in front of the committee for a total of 20 hours, and the committee was not at all satisfied with the answers it got.
Over the last year, Mr. Snyder engaged in a series of attempts to interfere with the Committee’s investigation. Mr. Snyder publicly assailed witnesses, refused to release former employees from their confidentiality obligations, and blocked the Committee’s access to tens of thousands of documents collected during the Wilkinson Investigation.
“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,” Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), the committee’s chairwoman, 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 list of conclusions is quite damning to Snyder, his franchise, and the NFL in general.
BREAKING: After a year-long investigation, @OversightDems is releasing our final report on the @Commanders' toxic workplace culture and the startling lengths that they – with the support of the @NFL – went to cover it up and evade accountabilityhttps://t.co/iZWeYNMROe
— Oversight Committee (@OversightDems) December 8, 2022