Dan Snyder is having yet another worst week ever. The embattled Washington Commanders owner is being accused of conducting a “shadow investigation” of the allegations he fostered a toxic work culture within his organization.
The findings by the U.S.Committee on Oversight and Reform, released Wednesday, also revealed that Snyder worked closely with the NFL to monitor and hide the results from an official internal investigation. A 29-page memo, supported by more than 600 pages of depositions, was released by the U.S. House Oversight Committee.
Holy cover-ups, Commander-man.
Commanders owner Dan Snyder will be subpoenaed to testify before Congress after skipping today’s hearing on workplace culture allegations pic.twitter.com/2rZd8GPBsf
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) June 22, 2022
Congressional Chin Check
“The NFL is unwilling or unable to hold Mr. Snyder accountable,” Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) said. “That is why I am announcing now my intent to issue a subpoena for Mr. Snyder for a deposition next week. The committee will not be deterred in its investigation into the Washington Commanders.”
Additionally, Maloney announced she would subpoena Snyder for a deposition next week. The news comes after a lawyer representing Dan Snyder told Congress last week that the Washington Commanders owner would not testify at a hearing next week as part of an investigation into the team’s workplace conduct.
Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder is still out of the country for what his attorney called a “longstanding Commanders-related business conflict.”
Running For Cover
“Rather than show up and take responsibility for his actions, he chose to skip town,” Maloney continued. “Apparently, Mr. Snyder is in France, where he has docked his luxury yacht near a resort town. That should tell you just how much respect he has for women in the workplace.”
However, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell did testify on Wednesday in front of the committee. The group cornered Goodell, with Rep. Rashida Talib (D-MI) asking Goodell the question everyone wants to know: whether he would remove Snyder as an NFL owner.
“I don’t have the authority to remove him,” Goodell answered.
Moments ago, Tanya and Dan Snyder, along with team president Jason Wright sent out this letter to members of their organization: pic.twitter.com/X1k9ekM0Jd
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 22, 2022
The Other Shadow League
Additionally, the committee pressed Goodell about Snyder’s alleged shadow investigation, to which the commissioner kept politically correct.
“Any action that would discourage people from coming forward would be inappropriate,” the commissioner responded.
The committee led by Maloney contended that Snyder and his lawyers in November 2020 compiled a “100-slide dossier” that “appears to be based on private text messages, emails, phone logs and call transcripts, and social media posts from nearly 50 individuals.”
The 100 slides, presented by Snyder’s attorneys, included information about journalists from the Washington Post to the NFL. The goal was “crafting an exculpatory narrative to present to the NFL showing that he was not responsible for the Commanders’ toxic work environment but instead was the victim of a coordinated smear campaign.”
Some thoughts on the House Oversight Committee's report on Washington's toxic culture…https://t.co/qSWah3dGHv
Whenever a new horror story about Washington comes up, people ask: Did Dan Snyder know?
The report is *rife* with testimonies from former employees who say he did. pic.twitter.com/H6I7dRAB6p
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) June 22, 2022
Still Trippin’
On Tuesday, the Washington Post exposed that in 2009, an employee “accused Snyder of asking her for sex, groping her and attempting to remove her clothes.” The incident resulted in a reported $1.6 million settlement.
The committee asked Goodell if the Commanders followed the Personal Conduct Policy, requiring teams to alert the league of potential allegations promptly.
“I don’t recall him informing of that, no,” Goodell responded.
Dan Snyder’s presence over the crimson and gold tarnishes the organization and the league. As Goodell shows, he will not protect the owner. Only time will tell how the other 31 team owners will react to the escalating issues from the suburbs of the District of Columbia.
