Congress has requested testimony from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder as part of a House Oversight Committee hearing on sexual harassment allegations against the club and questions surrounding the league’s investigation into those claims.
The hearing will be held on June 22.
It is not yet known if either Goodell or Snyder will comply with the request. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement that the league plans to reply directly to the committee shortly.
‘We received the Committee’s invitation this morning and will respond directly in a timely manner,’ read McCarthy’s statement. ‘The NFL has cooperated extensively throughout the Committee’s lengthy investigation of the Washington Commanders, including by producing more than 460,000 pages of documents and responding to numerous questions in writing and in conversations with the Committee’s staff.’
A team spokesperson did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
The hearing is part of the Democrat-led committee’s ongoing hostile workplace investigation into the team, as well as the league’s handling of its probe into the sexual harassment claims. Goodell has faced questions from both committee members and others over his refusal to release the findings of that investigation, while the league has cited privacy concerns for that decision.
The committee has previously demanded evidence purportedly showing that both Snyder and the league meddled with the supposedly independent sexual harassment probe handled by DC attorney Beth Wilkinson. And in April, the committee heard testimony from one former employee who made financial malpractice claims agains the club, which a team spokesperson has since denied.
‘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,’ said chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (Democrat, New York). ‘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.’
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (Democrat, Illinois), who chairs the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, accused the league of being evasive.
‘Mr. Snyder and Mr. Goodell need to appear before the Committee to address these issues and answer our questions about the pervasive workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders, and how the NFL addressed these issues,’ Krishnamoorthi said.