Former Washington Commanders workers and members of Congress pressured the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday to launch a report concerning the workforce's alleged historical past of sexual harassment and an alleged sexist and hostile office tradition.
One of many six former workers who spoke earlier than the Home Committee on Oversight and Reform additionally got here ahead with a brand new allegation that she was sexually harassed by workforce proprietor Dan Snyder himself, which Snyder denied.
Complaints concerning the workforce's therapy of feminine workers first surfaced in 2020, and Snyder commissioned an investigation into the workforce's office surroundings that was taken over by the NFL. The probe by legal professional Beth Wilkinson's agency led the league to fantastic Washington $10 million, and Snyder briefly ceded day-to-day operations of the workforce to his spouse, Tanya.
However the league didn't publicly launch any particulars of the investigation's findings, prompting comparisons with how the NFL has dealt with different allegations of wrongdoing.
"When the investigation of the air strain of Tom Brady's soccer concludes with a 200-plus-page report, however the investigation into 20 years of sexual harassment concludes with nothing, it reveals the NFL's full lack of respect in the direction of girls, their workers and for the tradition of our nation," stated Emily Applegate, who labored within the workforce's advertising division and stated she was sexually harassed each day by her direct superior.
In 2020, the workforce dropped its longtime title "Redskins" amid strain from sponsors to do away with a moniker that was criticized for many years for being offensive to Native People. The franchise was referred to as the Washington Soccer Workforce till Wednesday, when Snyder introduced its new title, the Commanders.
"Simply yesterday, Mr. Snyder tried to rebrand his workforce because the Commanders. With due respect, it is going to take greater than a reputation change to repair that damaged tradition," stated Consultant Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat from New York who serves because the committee chairwoman.
Tiffani Johnston, who labored for the workforce for eight years beginning in 2002 as a cheerleader and advertising supervisor, advised the committee on Thursday that Snyder positioned his hand on her thigh with out her consent at a workforce dinner, and that he pushed her towards his limousine together with his hand on her decrease again. She had not beforehand disclosed these allegations to the media or investigators.
"He left his hand on the center of my thigh till I bodily eliminated it," Johnston stated.
Describing the incident exterior Snyder's limousine, she stated: "The one purpose Dan Snyder eliminated his hand from my again and stopped pushing me in the direction of his limo was as a result of his legal professional intervened and stated, 'Dan, Dan, this can be a unhealthy concept.' ... I discovered that I ought to take away myself from Dan's grip whereas his legal professional was distracting him."
Maloney learn from a letter by one other former workforce worker, Jason Friedman, corroborating Johnston's account. In an announcement launched by the Commanders, Snyder denied Johnston's allegations.
"Whereas previous conduct on the workforce was unacceptable, the allegations leveled in opposition to me personally in right now's roundtable - lots of that are effectively over 13 years outdated - are outright lies," Snyder stated. "I unequivocally deny having participated in any such conduct, at any time and with respect to any particular person."
A spokesperson for the NFL advised CBS Information that the league "is reviewing and can think about Ms. Johnston's allegations as we'd some other new allegations relating to office misconduct on the Washington Commanders," and stated it "will decide any additional motion as applicable."
Among the many allegations repeated at Thursday's roundtable dialogue: that ladies working for the workforce have been repeatedly subjected to undesirable touching and crude feedback; that cheerleaders have been ogled by workforce executives and shoppers and fired by Snyder due to their seems to be; and that the workforce's video manufacturing division, at Snyder's behest, secretly edited an specific video of cheerleaders utilizing surreptitious footage from a calendar shoot.
It was unclear whether or not strain from Congress would immediate Goodell, who has cited former workers' privateness for not releasing the report of the investigation, to vary his thoughts or take additional motion in opposition to Snyder or the workforce. A league spokesman didn't instantly reply to an e-mail in search of remark.
Congressional Republicans stated it was exterior the scope of the committee to push a legislative answer to the workforce's therapy of workers and stated the roundtable was a distraction from extra pressing points.
"The witnesses right here have begged for us to do one thing, and nothing goes to occur on account of this committee," stated Consultant Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina. "That is merciless to those folks."
Requested concerning the scrutiny from Congress, Commanders President Jason Wright stated the workforce's office issues occurred earlier than his arrival. Wright is the one Black workforce president within the NFL, and he highlighted the range of the workers he has constructed.
"The interval of this rebrand and the time we have been right here has coincided with a interval of very quick, very deep and irreversible change throughout the group," Wright stated.