D.C. Attorney General Sues NFL And Goodell Over Commanders Misconduct Investigation

Topline

The city of Washington, D.C., sued the National Football League and the Washington Commanders on Thursday, alleging collusion between the league and the team during the NFL’s investigation into allegations of widespread misconduct toward female employees, a scandal that later drew scrutiny from Congress and potentially pushed the team’s billionaire owner to sell the franchise.

Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, and Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, right, are … [+] co-defendants in the suit.

Key Facts

Washington D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine announced the civil consumer protection lawsuit in a press conference, with his office subsequently filing the suit in Washington’s Superior Court.

Also named in the suit are the Commanders’ billionaire owner Daniel Snyder and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Racine claims a 2021 investigation into the team’s culture overseen by lawyer Beth Wilkinson was anything but independent, alleging in the suit Snyder intimidated witnesses and “the NFL was never serious about overseeing a thorough and complete investigation into Snyder and the Team’s misconduct.”

The attorney general’s office seeks civil penalties from the defendants and restitution for Washington consumers who were impacted financially by the alleged coverup.

Racine said at the press conference he will seek subpoenas for Goodell and Snyder to deliver in-person testimony under oath.

Chief Critic

“We reject the legally unsound and factually baseless allegations made today by the D.C. Attorney General against the NFL and Commissioner Goodell and will vigorously defend against those claims,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy wrote in an emailed statement.

Key Background

In July 2020, the Washington Post published a bombshell report in which 15 former female employees of the Commanders told the paper about rampant sexual harassment and abuse during their time with the team. Snyder subsequently hired Wilkinson to conduct a probe into the organization, with the NFL fining the Commanders $10 million in July 2021. But many criticized the NFL for not making the findings of that investigation public, with the House Committee on Oversight and Reform launching its own probe into the league’s handling of the allegations last fall. Both Goodell and Snyder delivered video testimony before Congress this summer related to the investigation.

Crucial Quote

“No entity, not the Commanders, not even the National Football League, is above the law,” Racine said Thursday.

Tangent

Snyder hired Bank of America to explore a possible sale of his team last week. Among the reported prospective buyers are Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and rap mogul Jay-Z.

Surprising Fact

Snyder has told close associates he has gathered enough “dirt” on Goodell and owners around the league to “blow [them] up,” ESPN reported last month. A Washington spokesperson called the report “categorically untrue” in a statement to Forbes.