Former Washington CommandersTiffani Johnston, an employee of the team, made new accusations against Dan Snyder on Thursday during a roundtable before House Committee on Oversight and Reform. She claimed that Snyder placed his hand on her thigh at a team dinner without her consent and then pushed her towards his limousine with his hand on his lower back.
Johnston stated, “He placed his hand on my middle thigh until he physically removed it.”
She described the incident in front of Snyder’s limousine and said that Dan Snyder had removed his hand from her back and stopped pushing her towards his limo because his lawyer intervened and said, “Dan, Dan. This is a bad idea.” … I realized that Dan was distracting me by his attorney and I should get out of Dan’s way.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-New York), the committee chairwoman, reads from a letter written by Jason Friedman, another former employee of the team, which corroborates Johnston’s account.
Snyder released a statement Thursday afternoon in which he apologized for past misconduct within his organization, but denied any new allegations.
Snyder stated that while past conduct at Team was unacceptable, the accusations levelled against me in today’s roundtable — many which date back well over 13 years — are completely false. “I unambiguously deny ever having been involved in such conduct with any person at any given time.” Tanya [Snyder]I won’t be distracted by anyone with a different agenda. We will continue with the positive personnel changes and cultural changes made at the Team over 18 months.
The NFL released a statement Thursday saying that it would investigate any new allegations against Snyder.
“The NFL will review and consider Ms. Johnston’s allegations, just as it would any other allegation regarding workplace misconduct at Washington Commanders. In a statement, the league said that they would consider any additional actions as necessary. “Today’s testimony highlights that employees deserve a workplace free of harassment and where they can report misconduct anonymously.
Six former Commanders employees attended the roundtable, along with members of Congress. They pressured Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, and the NFL to release a report on the history of sexual harassment by the team and its hostile work environment. They claimed that Snyder and the team have not been held responsible for their actions.
Snyder ordered an investigation into Snyder’s workplace environment. This was taken over the NFL. The NFL fined Washington $10 Million after an investigation by Beth Wilkinson’s law firm. Snyder temporarily gave the team’s day-today operations over to Tanya.
“When an investigation into the air pressure in Tom Brady’s football results with a 200-plus-page document, but the investigation into sexual harassment over two decades concludes with nothing,” Emily Applegate, who was a member of the team’s marketing department, said that she was sexually harassed by her boss every day.
The team changed its name to the Washington Football Team in 2020 after George Floyd was killed and protests over systemic racism. Sponsors pressured the team to drop the offensive moniker, which had been criticized for years for being offensive to Native Americans. The Washington Football Team was the name of the team until Wednesday. when Snyder announced its new nameThe Commanders.
“Just yesterday, Mr. Snyder attempted to rebrand his group as the Commanders. Maloney acknowledged that it would take more than a change of name to fix the culture.
One of the claims made at Thursday’s roundtable discussion was that team women were repeatedly subjected o unwanted touching and crude remarks; that Snyder fired Snyder’s cheerleaders for their looks; and, that Snyder’s video production team secretly edited explicit cheerleader video using footage from a calendar shoot.
It was unclear if Goodell would feel pressured by Congress to release the report. Goodell had previously mentioned former employees’ privacy and not taking any action against Snyder or the team. The league and team spokespeople did not immediately reply to emails requesting comment on the status of this report or about the new allegations against Snyder.
When David Rubenstein, philanthropist from the United States, asked Jason Wright about his scrutiny of Congress, the Commanders president stated that the team’s problems at work were not related to his arrival. Wright is the only Black NFL team president and he highlighted the diversity in his team.
Wright stated that the period of the rebranding and the time it has been in place coincided with a period when the organization experienced rapid, deep and unstoppable change.
The roundtable was a distraction from other urgent issues, according to Congressional Republicans.
Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina stated, “The witnesses have begged for us do something. And nothing is going a result from this committee.” “That’s cruel to those people.”
Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, the attorneys representing the six witnesses, and 40 former Commands employees, stated in a statement that the proceedings on Thursday were “an important step towards holding the Washington Football Team (and other workplaces throughout the country) accountable for the mistreatment or treatment of female employees.”
“In light of the overwhelming evidence that WFT executives Dan Snyder have abused female workers for decades without any consequences, it is high time Congress demands transparency and accountability. Banks and Katz expressed their willingness to continue working with Congress to hold the NFL’s Dan Snyder accountable and to create a more fair workplace for employees.
This report was contributed by The Associated Press.