A new document obtained by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform indicates that Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder could have a say on whether findings from the investigation into Washington's hostile workplace environment are released publicly.
According to the "Common Interest Agreement" obtained by members of the committee, the NFL and the then-Washington Football Team agreed not to share any exchanged information or documents during lawyer Beth Wilkinson's exploration of the club's culture. With that in mind, Snyder might have been able to prevent the league from releasing results of Wilkinson's report.The "Common Interest Agreement" was signed in September 2020 soon after the NFL took over the investigation that Wilkinson started.
The committee also obtained an engagement letter from August 2020 that shows that Wilkinson's firm planned to assemble a written report based on its findings. After the league stepped in, though, Wilkinson was tasked by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell with presenting those findings orally, per the committee.
"You have claimed that the NFL did not release Ms. Wilkinson's findings in order to protect the 'security, privacy and anonymity' of the more than 150 witnesses who courageously spoke to Ms. Wilkinson and her team," the committee's Chairs wrote in a letter to Goodell on Friday. "The Committee's investigation and the NFL's own legal documents raise serious doubts about this justification."
On Thursday, the committee held a roundtable featuring six former Washington employees and heard those employees' stories of the "unavoidable" harassment they experienced during their time with the team.
One employee, Tiffani Johnston, made a new allegation directly against Snyder, saying he put her hand on her thigh during a work dinner and then tried to push her into his limousine later that same night before a colleague intervened.
On Friday, Snyder's attorney Jordan Siev released a statement denying his client's involvement in blocking the Committee from receiving documents from the NFL, as well as Tiffani Johnston's allegations against Snyder.
"The former team employee who spoke for the first time yesterday resigned through a thankful and cheery resignation note more than 13 years ago – citing her “5 and a half wonderful years working for the Washington Redskins.” We understand that she was approached by the Wilkinson law firm in 2020 as part of its investigation, but she refused to be interviewed. The unsworn allegations she made for the first time yesterday against Mr. Snyder are false, and have been categorically denied by Mr. Snyder," Siev wrote.
"Regarding today’s letter from the Committee to the NFL, neither Mr. Snyder nor the team has ever done anything to block the Committee from receiving any documents it has requested from the NFL that are not expressly protected by attorney-client privilege or attorney work product. Finally, all remaining non-privileged emails are being provided to the Committee shortly."
In the letter to Goodell, Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y. and Chairman Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill. requested that the NFL release the findings from the Wilkinson Report and all documents that were used in the investigation by Feb. 14. Failure to comply, according to the House members, will lead to the Committee seeking "alternate means" of obtaining those documents.
Snyder released an initial statement following the roundtable's conclusion on Thursday, citing the progress the organization has made in its workplace culture over the last 18 months and calling Johnston's allegations "outright lies".