Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder conducted a ‘ghost investigation’ that aimed to discredit ex-employees who made accusations of workplace sexual harassment and hired private investigators to intimidate witnesses, in addition to using a foreign lawsuit as a pretext to obtain phone records and emails, according to a document released by a House of Representatives committee.
The Oversight and Reform Committee is investigating the culture in the Commanders’ work environment following allegations of pervasive sexual harassment by club leaders against female employees.
He made the document public before a hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning, during which NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was to testify by videoconference. Snyder was asked to testify, but declined, explaining that he was overseas on business and had concerns about the committee’s procedures.
The 29-page document alleges Snyder attempted to discredit people who accused him and club officials of misconduct and influence an investigation into the team by attorney Beth Wilkinson’s firm.
Snyder’s attorneys presented a 100-screen PowerPoint document that included private text messages, emails, phone records and call transcripts, and messages left on their social media from 50 people whom Snyder believes are involved in a conspiracy to disparage him.
A club spokeswoman said she had no immediate comment on the committee’s findings.
The NFL fined the Commanders US$10 million last year and Snyder stepped down from day-to-day management of the club after Wilkinson presented his findings to Goodell. The league did not release a written report of the findings, however, a decision taken to protect the privacy of former employees who responded to investigators’ questions, the commissioner said.
When it announced the penalty, the NFL said none of those accused of sexual harassment were still employed by the Commanders. But two separate charges of sexual harassment against Snyder himself have since been filed.
Ex-employee Tiffani Johnston told the committee that Snyder groped her at a team dinner and tried to force her into his limo, which Snyder denies. the washington post reported Tuesday that a woman accused Snyder of sexual assault on a 2009 team charter, which resulted in a $1.6 million settlement.
Johnston’s allegations led the NFL to hire former Security and Exchange Commission chairman Mary Jo White to conduct a new investigation into Snyder and the team. The league wants to make its findings public.
House committee chairwoman, Democrat Carolyn Maloney, pushed through rules to curb the use of nondisclosure agreements in the workplace and provide protection for employees whose professional image is used inappropriately.
Among the charges against the Commanders are the case of employees who allegedly produced a video of racy scenes that were not retained during a photo shoot of the cheerleaders.
According to the document, Snyder used a defamation lawsuit against an obscure India-based online media outlet as a pretext to obtain emails, phone records and text messages from ex-employees who contacted the washington post about harassment in the workplace.
The subpoenas were unusually vague and several of those targeted could not have a plausible connection to the Indian company, the committee ruled.
The panel also alleges that Snyder attempted to blame ex-president Bruce Allen for corporate culture issues and that the owner provided Wilkinson and the NFL with 400,000 emails from Allen’s account, identifying those they found particularly inappropriate.
Some of the email exchanges with Allen contained misogynistic and homophobic language from head coach Jon Gruden, which was leaked to reporters and led to his firing by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Witnesses told the committee that Snyder sent private investigators to their home to offer bribes for their silence. The NFL was aware of the use of these detectives, according to documents obtained by the committee, but that did not stop the practice, witnesses said.
Associated Press
Source: Radio-Canada
