The United States Congress wants to speak with Roger Goodell.
On Wednesday, House Representative Carolyn B. Maloney of the House Oversight Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, released a statement announcing they have sent letters to Goodell and Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder for them to appear before Congress at an upcoming congressional hearing.
Rep. Maloney and Rep. Krishnamoorthi admonished Goodell and Snyder for obstructing them during their investigation.
“The hearing is the next step in the Committee’s months-long investigation into the Commanders’ hostile workplace culture and will also examine the NFL’s handling of allegations of workplace misconduct, the NFL’s role in setting and enforcing standards across the League, and legislative reforms needed to address these issues across the NFL and other workplaces,” the Committee said in a press release.
“Since we launched our investigation in October, the Committee’s goal has been to uncover the truth about the culture of harassment and abuse at the Washington Commanders, to hold accountable those responsible, and to better protect workers across the country,” Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee, said. “The Committee has worked tirelessly to obtain critical information, including the findings of the internal investigation conducted by attorney Beth Wilkinson, only to be met with obstruction from the Commanders and the NFL at every turn. We must have transparency and accountability, which is why we are calling on Mr. Goodell and Mr. Snyder to answer the questions they have dodged for the last seven months. The hearing will explore how Congress can act to prevent employers from silencing victims of workplace misconduct and ensure that what happened at the Commanders organization does not happen again.”
Attorney Beth Wilkinson led a 10-month independent investigation into the Commanders’ workplace culture after several women alleged there was widespread sexual harassment at the team. Wilkinson was initially hired by the Commanders but the NFL then took over the investigation. Following Wilkinson’s findings, the team was fined $10 million.
Former team cheerleader and marketing manager Tiffani Johnston said during a congressional roundtable in February that during a work dinner, Snyder placed his hand on her thigh under the table and later pushed her aggressively toward his limo and asked her to ride with him.
Johnston worked for the team for eight years until 2008.
The fan base was already sick of Dan Snyder due to the terrible product that is put out on the field each year, but now, they are calling on him to sell the team.
