2023-07-21 01:38:02
Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Commanders, sexually harassed an employee and supervised team executives who knowingly withheld millions of dollars in revenue from other clubs, for which he has agreed to pay a $60 million fine, the NFL announced Thursday.
The league issued a 23-page report detailing the findings of an independent investigation into Snyder’s conduct, just minutes following team owners approved the sale of the Commanders to Josh Harris for a record $6.05 billion.
This fine thus represents 1% of the sale price. Snyder bought the team, then known as the Redskins, for $800 million.
The investigation was led by former Securities and Exchange Commission chairwoman Mary Jo White and conducted by the former official’s law firm, Debevoise & Plimpton. The league had promised to make the findings of the investigation public.
Investigators concluded that Washington withheld $11 million in revenue that it should have shared with other teams, an amount the report said might have been higher. White’s firm was unable to reach a conclusion regarding the additional tens of millions of dollars that would have been withheld, in part because Snyder and the team did not fully cooperate with the investigation, according to the report.
The report concluded that Snyder sexually harassed former team employee Tiffani Johnston, who first exposed those allegations last year, before a House committee. Snyder placed a hand on Johnston’s thigh at a team dinner and pushed her into the millionaire’s car as they were leaving the restaurant, the report said.
“The findings speak for themselves. In both cases, it’s inappropriate, it’s wrong, it’s not in line with our values,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said during a news conference in Minnesoa following team owners voted.
Snyder has denied Johnston’s allegations and insisted on it during an interview with White investigators. He only agreed to speak with investigators for an hour, the report stated.
Investigators spoke to Johnston several times and “found him highly credible,” the report said. His account was corroborated by witnesses and other evidence.
The investigation also backed up claims made by another former employee, Jason Friedman, who alerted the House of Representatives to a series of financial impropriety.
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