Washington captains owner Dan Snyder and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell were asked to testify at a congressional hearing on June 22.
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chair of the Oversight and Reform Commission, and MP Raja Krishnamurthy, Chair of the Sub-Committee on Economic and Consumer Policy, letters to both men to apply.
The Oversight and Reform Commission investigates leaders’ hostile workplace culture. According to a statement, the June 22 hearing will also consider “the NFL’s role in setting and enforcing standards across the league, and the legislative reforms needed to address these issues across the NFL and other workplaces.”
“Since we began our investigation in October, the commission’s goal has been to uncover the truth about the culture of harassment and abuse in Washington’s leaders, hold those responsible to account, and better protect workers across the country,” Maloney said. statement. “The Committee worked tirelessly to obtain critical information, including the results of attorney Beth Wilkinson’s internal investigation, yet it was hampered by leaders and the NFL at every turn. We must have transparency and accountability, which is why we call on Mr. Goodell and Mr. Snyder to answer the questions they’ve evaded over the past seven months. The hearing will explore how Congress can act to prevent employers from silencing victims of workplace misconduct and ensure that what happened in Leaders’ Organization does not happen again.”
Krishnamurthy added: “For seven months, the committee has been hampered by non-disclosure agreements and other tools to evade accountability. Mr. Snyder and Mr. Goodell need to appear before the committee to address these issues and answer our questions about rampant workplace misconduct in Washington leaders and how the union has addressed American football these issues.”
Last June, the NFL fined the leaders $10 million as a result of a Wilkinson-led investigation into the franchise’s workplace culture. Last October, Maloney and Krishnamurthy sent a letter to Goodell requesting all documents related to the investigation. However, Goodell said the full report on the investigation would not be released to protect the anonymity of the people who cooperated with the investigation.
The Washington Post reported last November that Snyder tried to prevent Wilkinson from meeting a woman who had accused her owner of sexual misconduct in 2009. She eventually paid the woman a $1.6 million settlement. However, Goodell denied that Snyder had obstructed the league’s investigation.
In February, at a congressional roundtable, Tiffany Johnston, the team’s former marketing and events coordinator, filed a new allegation against Snyder, accusing him of touching her without her consent at a business dinner nearly 13 years ago. Snyder issued a statement denying her allegations. The NFL has launched an investigation into the allegations.
In April, the Oversight and Reform Commission sent a letter to the FTC and several attorneys general alleging that the leaders had failed to return guarantee deposits, hid revenue and kept two sets of financial ledgers. Allegation of financial wrongdoing was made by former long-time employee Jason Friedman who on March 14 met with panelists as part of its investigation into the team’s workplace culture.
The leaders denied the allegations. The Virginia attorney general’s office announced last month that they would open an investigation into the allegations.
