Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder declines to testify at hearing on misconduct allegations
Sources close to Washington Commanders' owner Dan Snyder said Wednesday he will not be testifying at a Congressional Committee hearing looking into allegations of misconduct.
In a June 1 letter, sent to Dan Snyder by the chairs of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform, the Committee invited Snyder and NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, to testify at a hearing on June 22 about financial and workplace misconduct allegations made against the team and Snyder.
On Wednesday, a source close to Snyder told FOX 5 that, "despite months of Mr. Snyder’s cooperation, the Oversight Committee refused to afford the same respect and courtesy by declining multiple reasonable requests surrounding a potential appearance by Mr. Snyder. Mr. Snyder remains willing to continue cooperating with the Committee but is unable to attend the June 22 hearing given the Committee’s disregard for due process."
According to a letter written by Snyder's attorney, Karen Patton Seymour, he is not attending the Committee's hearing due to scheduling conflicts.
The letter stated, "Mr. Snyder has longstanding plans to be out of the country on business matters on that date. Yet I was informed that, despite this being the first date proposed for this hearing, the Committee is unwilling to consider changing the June 22, 2022 hearing date, despite the fact that the aforementioned conflicts cannot be rescheduled."
As it stands, the hearing is still scheduled for next Wednesday, June 22, despite Snyder saying he will not be able to attend.
The letter also said that, despite Snyder's inability to attend the June 22 hearing, he remains committed to assisting with the Committee's investigation and testifying at a later mutually agreeable date.
The calls for Snyder to testify are the latest developments in the months-long investigation into the Commanders' workplace culture. In October 2021, the House Oversight Committee sent a letter requesting all documents related to an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment, abuse, and other workplace misconduct from top executives at the team.
The investigation conducted by an outside law firm described vague findings, including that "the workplace environment... particularly for women, was highly unprofessional," that "[b]ullying and intimidation frequently took place," and that "senior executives engaged in inappropriate conduct themselves." Unlike past investigations into potential misconduct, the NFL did not disclose the full results of the investigation.
In February, the Committee learned more about the allegations against the team from former employees, after holding a roundtable where employees widespread sexual harassment, abuse, and other workplace misconduct by top executives, including team owner Daniel Snyder, and explained that the League failed to address these issues. At the roundtable, Tiffani Johnston detailed sexual advances made by Mr. Snyder’s at a team dinner.
Following the Committee’s roundtable, the NFL opened a new investigation into Mr. Snyder’s conduct, as well as financial improprieties that were brought to light by the Committee’s investigation.
According to the House Oversight Committee, that investigation focuses on w officials believe the Commanders may have intentionally withheld millions of dollars in refundable deposits owed to fans, and concealed revenues that were owed to the NFL as part of the league’s revenue-sharing agreement.
In response to the announcement that Snyder will not be testifying in the June 22 hearing, the attorneys representing the former Commanders employees who alleged misconduct released a statement expressing disappointment.
"We, along with our clients, are disappointed but not surprised that Dan Snyder does not have the courage to appear voluntarily. We fully expect the Committee will issue a subpoena to compel Mr. Snyder to appear. It is time that Mr. Snyder learns that he is not above the law."
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Snyder has denied the sexual assault allegations and the team has denied any financial wrongdoing.