Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder is stepping away from day-to-day operations after an independent investigation into the organization’s workplace misconduct. Alex Brandon/Associated Press
The NFL has fined the Washington Football Team $10 million and owner Dan Snyder is stepping away from day-to-day operations for several months after an independent investigation found the organization’s workplace “highly unprofessional,” especially for women.
The team was not stripped of any draft picks and no formal suspensions were handed out as part of the league’s discipline that was announced Thursday stemming from lawyer Beth Wilkinson’s investigation that began last summer. The investigation, commissioned by the club amid allegations from employees and taken over by the league, revealed that ownership and senior officials paid little attention to sexual harassment and other workplace issues. NFL special counsel for investigations Lisa Friel described it as a culture of fear.
“The culture at the club was very toxic, and it fell far short of the NFL’s values and we hold ownership to a higher standard,” Friel said.
Lawyers representing 40 former Washington employees slammed the NFL for choosing to protect Snyder and ignoring requests to make the report public, calling the fine “pocket change.”
“This is truly outrageous and is a slap in the face to the hundreds of women and former employees who came forward in good faith and at great personal risk to report a culture of abuse at all levels of the team, including by Snyder himself,” lawyers Lisa Banks and Debra Katz said in a statement.
“The NFL has effectively told survivors in this country and around the world that it does not care about them or credit their experiences.”
The league said Wilkinson interviewed more than 150 people, including current and former employees. Friel said individual allegations were not made part of Wilkinson’s findings because of confidentiality agreements requested by many people and that there was no written report, only an oral presentation.
Snyder said his wife Tanya will be in charge for the “next several months” while he focuses on efforts for a new stadium and other business ventures. Tanya Snyder was named co-CEO on Tuesday. The NFL made no mention of Snyder being formally suspended.
Janet Nova, the league’s deputy general counsel for media and business affairs, said Dan Snyder stepping away for this period of time – through the fall – was “voluntary” and not a mandate. Tanya Snyder will represent Washington at all league functions.
Banks and Katz called Tanya Snyder’s promotion a “shallow attempt to show progress without making any meaningful changes to the organization.”
Wilkinson recommended establishing protocols for reporting harassment, a disciplinary action plan and regular training for employees. She also said the cheerleading team – which is now a co-ed dance team as part of an organizational overhaul of game-day entertainment – needed to be protected.
The league praised Snyder for hiring Ron Rivera as coach in early 2020 and Jason Wright as team president last summer among those changes to improve the organization’s culture.
“Over the past 18 months, Dan and Tanya have recognized the need for change and have undertaken important steps to make the workplace comfortable and dignified for all employees,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Those changes, if sustained and built upon, should allow the club to achieve its goal of having a truly first-tier workplace.”
Friel said Wilkinson was not tasked with making any recommendations about Dan Snyder selling the team or being suspended.
“I was addressing the accountability as we relayed it in the release that the Commissioner has imposed and which he feels is the best way to address the findings that were communicated to us from the investigation and part of that is to ensure that the cultural changes that have happened over the last 18 months are sustained going forward,” Friel said.
EUGENE CHUNG: The NFL cannot confirm Eugene Chung’s allegations that a team official made discriminatory comments during his interview for a coaching job.
“After multiple discussions, including with Mr. Chung and his representative, we were unable to confirm the precise statement that was made, or by whom and under what circumstances any such statement was made,” the league said in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday.
Chung, a 1992 first-round pick by New England, played five seasons in the league and served as an assistant coach for a decade.
He told The Boston Globe in May that he was told he was “not the right minority” by an interviewer. Chung, who is Korean American, didn’t identify the team.
The league emphasized such comments “have no place in the NFL or in any contemporary workplace.”
“We intend to use this occasion to reinforce the commitment of the NFL and of every NFL club to ensure appropriate interview processes and develop diverse, inclusive, and respectful workforces on and off the field,” the league said. “Mr. Chung has offered to assist us moving forward and we welcome the opportunity to speak with him about how we can better advance employment opportunities throughout the league.”
Chung most recently was part of Philadelphia’s coaching staff from 2016-19. He started 30 games at both guard spots for the Patriots in his first two seasons in the NFL in 1992-93 and played one season with Jacksonville and one with Indianapolis.
Chung began his coaching career with the Eagles on Andy Reid’s staff in 2010 as an assistant offensive line coach. He followed Reid to Kansas City in 2013 and came to Philadelphia with Doug Pederson in 2016.
FINES: The Jacksonville Jaguars and first-year coach Urban Meyer have been fined along with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers for violating rules governing offseason practices, a person with knowledge of the decision said Thursday.
Meyer and the Jaguars incurred the biggest fines, with the coach getting docked $100,000 while the team was fined $200,000, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the punishments weren’t announced. The Cowboys and 49ers were fined $100,000 each, while Dallas Coach Mike McCarthy and San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan were docked $50,000 apiece. ESPN first reported the punishments.
The Jaguars and 49ers acknowledged the discipline while the Cowboys declined comment. Jacksonville’s fines were for excessive contact between receivers and defensive backs during 11-on-11 drills June 1.
STEELERS: Pittsburgh signed kicker Sam Sloman to a one-year contract, giving veteran Chris Boswell some competition going into training camp. The team announced the signing on Thursday. Sloman made 10 of 13 field goals as a rookie last season while splitting time between Tennessee and the Los Angeles Rams.
Boswell connected on 19 of 20 field goals and 34 of 38 extra points last season, though he did miss three games late in the year because of an injury. Boswell has two years remaining on his current contract.
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