The NFL clarified on Wednesday afternoon that an independent investigation will be conducted into allegations of misconduct by Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, but that the investigation will be conducted by the league itself, not the team.
“Last week, the League stated that we will review and consider Ms. [Tiffani] Johnston’s allegations as we would any others regarding workplace conduct at the Washington Commanders. The League, not the team, will conduct an independent investigation and will be retaining an investigator to determine the facts shortly.”
As CBS Sports initially reported, Johnston, who spent eight years working for the team, told a congressional roundtable that she was “strategically” seated by Snyder at a work dinner so he could put “his hand on the middle of my thigh until I physically removed it.” Johnston said this was done purposely and without consent as he touched her in a sexual manner. Johnston further alleged that Snyder “aggressively pushed” her toward his limo later that night before his attorney intervened, advising him not to engage the “very bad idea.” Jason Friedman, Johnston’s former boss, said in a letter to Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney DN.Y. that he witnessed Snyder try to grab Johnston and push her to his limo.
The league’s statement came in the wake of reports that the commanders had commissioned their own “independent” investigation into the matter. The team retained Pallas Global Group LLC to look into the claims made by Tiffani Johnston, as The Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala reported Wednesday. The legal team was led by Debra Yang, a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP in Los Angeles who was previously its chair of the White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group.
“The Team is committed to a thorough and independent investigation of Ms. Johnston’s allegation, and pledges full cooperation with the investigation,” the franchise said in its statement. “At the conclusion of the investigation, Ms. Yang will report her findings to Pallas Global Group, and those findings will be released to the public.”
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi DI.L., who was also a host of the congressional panel, told ESPN that the latest move by the Commanders was “disturbing.”
“Dan Snyder already called Tiffani Johnston a liar,” Krishnamoorthi said. “And so for him to then hire an investigator to look at those claims begs the question of whether the investigation will really be impartial or unbiased. Or will it be prejudiced in favor of Dan Snyder’s side of the story, because after all, these investigators and these people are being paid by Dan Snyder.”
Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, the attorneys who represent Johnston and over 40 other former team employees, echoed Krishnamoorthi’s concern.
“The idea that Dan Snyder has hired a team to investigate his own actions is utterly absurd,” Banks and Katz said in their statement. “This is a desperate public relations stunt, clearly designed to complete him of wrongdoing. Our client, Tiffani Johnston, already testified credibly to Congress about her experience of being sexually harassed by Mr. Snyder. Her powerful testimony was corroborated by an eyewitness who submitted A statement to Congress: If there is to be any investigation of Ms. Johnston’s allegations, it should be conducted by Beth Wilkinson and her team, who have spent the better part of the last year investigating the actions of Mr. Snyder and his top lieutenants The fact is that Mr. Snyder has gone to great lengths to conceal the truth and his retention of this team is just his latest effort to paint a false picture of his behavior.
“If, as Mr. Snyder claims today, he genuinely wanted the truth about his actions to emerge, he would have embraced the public release of Ms. Wilkinson’s findings. Instead, he worked with the NFL to block the release of the Wilkinson report. And now, he has handpicked new investigators to do what apparently the Wilkinson report did not do — sugarcoat his own actions.Ms. Johnston will not participate in this sham of an investigation, and the public will not be duped into believing that this is anything other than Dan Snyder trying to whitewash his own misconduct.”