The House Committee on Oversight and Reform sent letters Wednesday to Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell inviting both men to appear before the committee on June 22.
The committee has been investigating the Commanders’ workplace culture for months. In February one former employee told the committee that Snyder had personally harassed her, and other employees described what the committee calls “widespread sexual harassment, abuse, and other workplace misconduct” at the Commanders. Snyder called the allegations against him “outright lies” and denied they ever took place.
Also in February, the NFL said the Commanders were preventing the league from accessing documents it needed for its second investigation the Commanders’ culture, a charge the team denied. The league’s previous investigation of the team resulted in a report that it has not released publicly.
In April the committee alerted the Federal Trade Commission that it had heard allegations that the Commanders had withheld money that should have been refunded to season ticket holders and had hidden revenue from the NFL. The Commanders called those charges “baseless” and impugned the motives of the source of those allegations, a former employee named Jason Friedman.
Both DC Attorney General Karl Racine and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said they last month that their offices had opened investigations into the Commanders.
Republicans on the committee oppose the investigation, which a spokesperson described as a “sham.” Politico columnist Michael Schaffer wrote Friday that Republicans have become an ally to Snyder, though as he notes “The tone of the GOP pushback has been less pro-Snyder than anti-anti-Snyder”—Republicans don’t so much favor Snyder as they oppose Democrats looking into his team.
“We are pleased the House Oversight Committee has invited Dan Snyder and Roger Goodell to testify in front of the Committee,” said attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who represent more than 40 former Commanders employees, in a statement. “We hope they will demonstrate the same courage as our clients and agree to testify. Dan Snyder and Roger Goodell have a lot to answer for.” A spokesperson for the Washington Commanders tells Washingtonian in an email that the team has “assisted the NFL in cooperating with all prior requests from the House Oversight and Reform Committee” and that “We look forward to responding directly to the Committee’s invitation in a timely manner.”
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
