Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder could be losing support from his fellow owners amid new allegations, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. 

"I'm told for the first time ever, there is a sense among ownership that the time may have come for Dan Snyder to move on," Florio said Sunday on NBC's Super Bowl Pregame Show (h/t Grant Paulsen of NBC Sports Washington).

During a congressional committee looking into the organization's alleged negative workplace environment, former employee Tiffani Johnston said Snyder put his hand on her thigh during a work dinner, via Tisha Thompson of ESPN. 

It comes amid widespread allegations of harassment within Washington's organization. There was an independent investigation into these claims, but a new report by Will Hobson and Liz Clarke of the Washington Post stated Snyder tried to interfere with the investigation by attorney Beth Wilkinson. 

Thompson reported the findings of the investigation may not be released without Snyder's approval. No written report has been produced, with Wilkinson only presenting her findings orally to the league office.

In July, the NFL announced a $10 million fine for Washington while Tanya Snyder, Daniel's wife, would assume day-to-day operations of the team "for at least the next several months."

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters in October that the results would be kept private to maintain anonymity for the employees who came forward. Goodell also said at the time that Snyder has "been held accountable" with his fine and suspension.

According to Florio, a written report would have provided a recommendation that Snyder sell the team.

New allegations against Snyder could make the situation even more untenable for him to remain as Commanders owner.    

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera applauded former Miami Dolphins counterpart Brian Flores for his lawsuit against the NFL and its teams alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices.

Rivera told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on Friday the case will help bring attention to the need for broader representation within NFL coaching staffs:

First of all, I think what Brian is doing is courageous and it really truly is bringing everything to the forefront and to the light. I think it is important because the biggest problem in my opinion that minorities face is that people don't know these guys. You have to get to know who they are to give them opportunities. I have a friend who's in sales and he's always told me, 'You need three elements if you're going to sell. People have to get to know you, people have to get to like you and people have to get to trust you to buy from you.'

The NFL's latest hiring cycle left the league with five head coaches of color: Rivera, the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin, the New York Jets' Robert Saleh, the Houston Texans' Lovie Smith and the Miami Dolphins' Mike McDaniel. The latter two were hired this offseason.

Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters Wednesday the NFL "fell short" with its hiring practices:

We believe in diversity. We believe it has made us stronger. People who have come into the league who are diverse have been very successful and made us better, and we just have to do a better job. ... Is there another thing that we can do to make sure that we're attracting the best talent and making our league more inclusive? If I had the answer right now, I would give it to you. I would have implemented it.

Flores' lawsuit filing included specific claims against the Dolphins, Denver Broncos and New York Giants concerning their hiring and firing practices.

He alleged his relationship with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross became fractured because he wouldn't purposely lose games to tank for a higher draft pick and wouldn't violate the NFL's tampering rules to meet with a "prominent quarterback."

His claims against the Broncos and Giants centered around the idea they held "sham" interviews with him to satisfy the league's Rooney Rule regarding interviews with minority coaches.

All of the teams involved have denied the allegations, and the NFL released a statement saying the claims were "without merit."

Meanwhile, Rivera told Florio the biggest hurdle that must be jumped is getting more minority coaches to meet and build relationships with NFL owners and high-ranking executives:

We've got to find ways to put people on the owners' radars, the presidents' radars, the GMs' radars. Maybe it takes something like what Brian is doing to get people to focus in and realize this is serious, so let's find avenues to do that. Well, to me, we have a Super Bowl, we have a Combine, and we have owners' meetings. Those are three great opportunities to bring a crowd of people that people say, 'Hey, these are the next ones. Let's bring them in. Let's get them to spend some time with the decision-makers to help them that when now we get into the new cycle.' It's not all of a sudden, 'Well, who's this? ... Well, yeah. I remember him. I got a chance to meet him. Let's sit down, let's talk.' I think if we can educate them on these people that are available, it might help. We got to do something.

Goodell said the league is committed to finding "better solutions and better outcomes," but didn't announce any immediate policy changes during his Super Bowl press conference Wednesday.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league as a whole have received criticism for not publicly releasing the findings of an investigation into the Washington Commanders' team culture, but the league said in a letter to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform that the team is blocking access to some of the documents pertaining to the investigation.

Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post reported Thursday that the letter was sent to Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), who sent Goodell a letter in October seeking more transparency into the investigation.

Attorney Beth Wilkinson, who conducted the investigation, submitted oral findings instead of written ones, and the NFL defended that decision as well in its letter.

"It is simply not correct to suggest that submission of a written report is either necessary or the universal practice of other companies or the NFL," the league wrote. "The NFL concluded that an oral report was appropriate, given the sensitivity of the subject matter and confidentiality promises to those who participated in the investigation."

After Wilkinson submitted the oral findings, Washington was fined $10 million and owner Daniel Snyder stepped away from some of the team's day-to-day responsibilities while his wife, Tanya Snyder, took over as co-CEO.

The NFL explained the team is blocking access to some documents after the two sides entered into a "common interest agreement" when the league took over oversight of the investigation from Washington so it wouldn't have to restart the entire process.

The league said it attempted to access approximately 109,000 team documents that were in possession of a third-party vendor, but that vendor did not share them "unless the team consented because of its concern that it could be sued by the team or its owner. The NFL promptly directed the team to provide its consent to the vendor, but the team repeatedly has refused to do so."

The letter also suggested "in no way is the NFL obstructing or seeking to obstruct the Committee's investigation, and valid assertions of applicable privileges by the NFL should not be characterized as doing anything of the sort."

Jordan Siev, who is the attorney for Dan Snyder, released a statement in response:

Jordan Siev, attorney for Daniel Snyder, in a statement to @NickiJhabvala: "The Commanders have never prevented the NFL from obtaining any non-privileged documents and will not do so in the future.” https://t.co/2Le7OH1cAI

— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) February 10, 2022

This comes as new allegations against Dan Snyder have been made public.

Liz Clarke and Jhabvala of the Washington Post reported last Thursday that Tiffani Mattingly Johnston, who is a former marketing manager and cheerleader for the team, said Snyder sexually harassed her. She also said she was told not to tell anyone about his actions and did not have a readily available option to report them to human resources.

Snyder released a statement addressing the allegations:

Statement from Dan Snyder, via his PR representative: pic.twitter.com/JGDsG1ouoP

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) February 3, 2022

Maske and Jhabvala noted the Commanders announced they would investigate Johnston's allegations, but the NFL said it would conduct the investigation instead. Goodell said Washington conducting an investigation into itself in this instance would not be appropriate.        

Washington Commanders defensive lineman Jonathan Allen apologized Wednesday for saying he wanted to dine with Adolf Hitler.

"Early I tweeted something that probably hurt people and I apologize about what I said," he tweeted. "I didn’t express properly what I was trying to say and I realize it was dumb!"

As TMZ Sports explained, Allen responded to a Twitter prompt asking which three people—dead or alive—one would choose to dine with if given the chance. He said his grandfather, Michael Jackson and Hitler.

Allen went on to call the German dictator "a military genius" and added, "I love military tactics, but honestly I would want to pick his brain as to why he did what he did."

What Hitler did was orchestrate the murder of 6 million Jewish people, as well as hundreds of thousands of Roma and Sinti people during the Holocaust. That Allen would choose him and express curiosity toward his "tactics" led to plenty of backlash across Twitter on Wednesday.

The defensive lineman has played for Washington his entire NFL career since he entered the league as a first-round pick in 2017.        

Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder reportedly hired the Pallas Global Group consulting firm for an independent investigation into allegations made against him by former employee Tiffani Johnston during a congressional hearing last week.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday on details of the probe, which will include a public release of the group's findings:

Washington said it is committed to a thorough and independent investigation of Johnston's allegation, and pledges full cooperation with the investigation. At the conclusion of the investigation, Pallas Global Group will release the findings to the public.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 9, 2022

However, the NFL released a statement later Wednesday saying it planned to take control of any review of the allegations with its own plans to hire an investigator still in progress:

The NFL says the league — not Daniel Snyder and the Washington Commanders — will conduct an independent investigation into an allegation against Snyder.

From @NFLprguy: pic.twitter.com/xGZZ6ygo1z

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 9, 2022

Johnston, the team's former marketing and events coordinator, said during last week's hearing Snyder placed his hand on her thigh and later tried to convince her to enter his limo at a work event, per ESPN's Tisha Thompson.

Snyder described all of the allegations made against him during the congressional roundtable as "outright lies."

The Commanders and the NFL have come under fire for a lack of transparency following a previous investigation into the franchise's workplace culture by attorney Beth Wilkinson and her law firm. 

Commissioner Roger Goodell levied a $10 million fine against Washington in July based on findings that members of the organization acted in a "highly unprofessional" manner with a "general lack of respect in the workplace," which included allegations of bullying, intimidation and sexual harassment.

Goodell said in October the league wouldn't release any further details to protect the "security and privacy and anonymity" of those who were interviewed throughout the investigation. He also said Wilkinson only gave a verbal presentation and that there is no formal documentation to release.

Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Carolyn Maloney, members of the U.S. House Committee for Oversight and Reform looking into the league's response to the allegations against the Commanders, said their review of legal documents raised "serious doubts" about Goodell's justification for shielding details from the investigation, per Thompson.

"After assuming oversight of the investigation, however, Mr. Goodell personally instructed that Ms. Wilkinson was to present him with oral, not written, findings in a stark departure from the league's previous practices," the committee said in a statement Friday.

Snyder and the NFL responded with statements saying they're in the process of providing the committee with all documents that "did not run against attorney-client privilege."

Meanwhile, a league spokesperson confirmed in a statement to ESPN it would review the allegations brought forward by Johnston, which weren't included in the prior investigation.

"The NFL is reviewing and will consider Ms. Johnston's allegations as we would any other new allegations regarding workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders," the spokesperson said. "We will determine any further action as appropriate."

Johnston said she didn't initially provide the information to Wilkinson due to "fear of retaliation from Snyder," per Thompson.

The House Committee for Oversight and Reform launched its investigation into the NFL's handling of the Washington probe in October.

A timetable for the completion of the committee's review or the newly formed independent investigation, either by the team or the NFL, haven't been announced.

Washington Commanders safety Deshazor Everett has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the December car crash that killed his girlfriend, Olivia S. Peters, per multiple reports.

Everett's attorney, Kaveh Noorishad, released the following statement on the charge:

Mr. Everett voluntarily appeared earlier today at the Loudoun County Magistrate's Office where he was served with a warrant for involuntary manslaughter. Shortly thereafter, he was released on bond. Our team continues to investigate this matter as we intend on vigorously defending Mr. Everett against these allegations. We continue to ask that judgment be reserved until all facts are fully investigated and litigated in the proper forum. At this time we cannot comment any further due to the pending litigation.

Everett, 29, was driving his 2010 Nissan GT-R on Dec. 23 when it veered off the road, hit several trees and rolled over. Peters, 29, died at a hospital following the crash. 

The Loudoun County Sheriff's department said that its investigation found that Everett was driving "over twice the posted 45 mph speed limit just prior to the crash."

Everett's Washington teammates Jamin Davis and Benjamin St-Juste had been out to dinner with the pair and were traveling ahead of them at the time of the accident. Everett was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries for four days. 

He has spent his entire seven-year career with the Commanders and has served as the team's special teams captain since 2018. 

"We are aware of these charges and are continuing to monitor the situation," the Commanders said in a statement. "We will have no further comment at this time."

The NFL may be unable to publicly release details from the investigation into the Washington Commanders' workplace culture without the "explicit permission" of team owner Daniel Snyder.

ESPN's Tisha Thompson reported the update Friday amid hearings by the U.S. House Committee for Oversight and Reform, which also noted Washington originally sought a written report from Beth Wilkinson about her law firm's findings but only received the results via oral presentation.

The Commanders were fined $10 million by the NFL in July after Wilkinson's investigation.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell didn't mention Snyder's apparent ability to restrict access to details from the probe when asked in October, saying it was important to protect those who were interviewed throughout the process:

That not only affects the investigation that you're going through, but it affects future investigations and the credibility of that. So when you make a promise to protect the anonymity to make sure that we get the right information, you need to stand by that. And so we're very conscious of making sure that we're protecting those that came forward. They were incredibly brave, incredibly open, and we respect the pain that they probably went through all over again to come forward.

Goodell added "steps were put in place to make sure that it does not happen again."

At the same league meetings where Goodell made those remarks, 12 former members of the Washington organization delivered a signed letter seeking the release of details from the investigation.

Two members of the House Committee for Oversight and Reform, representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Carolyn Maloney, sent a letter to the NFL commissioner Friday morning that stated their hearings have raised questions about his original explanation for not releasing the details, per Thompson:

You have claimed that the NFL did not release Ms. Wilkinson's findings in order to protect the 'security, privacy and anonymity' of the more than 150 witnesses who courageously spoke to Ms. Wilkinson and her team. The Committee's investigation and the NFL's own legal documents raise serious doubts about this justification.

A statement from the committee Friday said Goodell "personally instructed" Wilkinson to deliver a verbal overview of her findings rather than compile a written report, per Thompson. The committee said that decision was a "stark departure" from previous investigations involving the NFL.

The committee also pointed to a document signed between the Washington franchise and the NFL in September 2020 that referenced a "joint legal strategy" regarding the release of information from the investigation, which gave Snyder the ability to block the release of documents, per Thompson.

Meanwhile, the NFL removed itself from the agreement in October when Congress began investigating the Commanders. Krishnamoorthi and Maloney told Goodell that created a "legal limbo" where both the league and the team can say it's unable to release the documents, according to the ESPN report.

The House Committee for Oversight and Reform hasn't provided a timetable for completing its probe into the Washington situation.

Washington Commanders president Jason Wright believes NFL owners can help create quick change in regards to improving diversity.

"The system is not working well," Wright said Thursday, via John Keim of ESPN. "With a specific nod to the situation in Miami, I try not to meddle in other people's business. I will say that if ownership is fully committed to diversity and inclusion, change can happen very rapidly."

The discussion comes after former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a 58-page lawsuit against the NFL and its teams on Tuesday. Flores alleges racial discrimination in the league's hiring practices, specifically claiming the New York Giants brought him in for a sham interview to satisfy the Rooney Rule after already picking Brian Daboll as the next head coach.

There is currently only one Black head coaches in the NFL—Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

Wright became the first Black team president in league history when he was hired by Washington in Aug. 2020. He also hired Martin Mayhew, who is Black, as general manager, while head coach Ron Rivera is of Latino descent. 

"I, in turn, have built the most diverse leadership team in the NFL," Wright said Thursday. "Where there's a will, there's a way. This is a low point [for the NFL]. It can very quickly get to a high point if a few folks are committed."

Rivera was hired before Wright, who was brought to the organization shortly after reports of widespread harassment in Washington. The team still showed quick improvement in regards to diversity over the past year, both in regards to race and gender.

Other organizations could have similar transformations if there is buy-in at the top.

The Rooney Rule requires teams to interview minority candidates, while there are incentives to develop minority executives, but there is currently no way to require owners to hire Black candidates. As Wright noted, it is up to those in charge to make a change.   

A former marketing manager and cheerleader for Washington's NFL team, which just rebranded itself as the Commanders, told members of Congress that team owner Dan Snyder sexually harassed her, per Liz Clarke and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post.

Tiffani Mattingly Johnston made the allegations Thursday as one of six former employees scheduled to describe their experience with the team to the Congressional panel investigating the franchise's culture.

Clarke and Jhabvala noted Johnston said "Snyder harassed her at a team dinner, putting his hand on her thigh and pressing her toward his limo."

Johnston said the incident happened during a work dinner, and she was only able to free herself of Snyder's "grip" as he pushed her toward the limousine because the team owner's attorney stepped in and said, "Dan, Dan, this is a bad idea … a very bad idea Dan."

She also said she was told not to tell anyone about Snyder's actions and did not have anyone in human resources to report them to in the aftermath.

Johnston wasn't the only one who raised allegations Thursday, as former marketing director and cheerleader Melanie Coburn said a colleague was "hazed to drink despite being a recovering addict" during an awards trip to Snyder's Colorado home.

She also said she was told to remain in her room at one point and "later learned from a colleague, who was there, that it was because the men had invited prostitutes back."

Snyder released a statement Thursday:

Statement from Dan Snyder, via his PR representative: pic.twitter.com/JGDsG1ouoP

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) February 3, 2022

This comes after Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) sent NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a letter in October seeking transparency into the investigation of the organizational culture in Washington. The House Democrats also questioned why oversight of attorney Beth Wilkinson's investigation was transferred from Washington to the NFL after the team initially hired her.

The NFL never made the findings public and said Wilkinson presented them verbally, although some of the 650,000 emails the investigation produced were leaked. Those were the messages sent by former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden that included racist, misogynistic and anti-gay language and eventually led to his resignation.

Washington was fined $10 million as a result of Wilkinson's investigation, and Tanya Snyder, who is the wife of Daniel Snyder, took over co-owner and co-CEO responsibilities while her husband stepped away from some of the day-to-day issues.

"We think this is the appropriate way to do it," Goodell told reporters in October when discussing why the findings were not released publicly.

He also said, "I do think he's been held accountable," when discussing Snyder.

Thursday's allegations brought the investigation back into the spotlight.

"One after another, they painted a picture of a pervasive culture of sexual harassment, stemming from the team's ownership, in which women were exploited, demeaned and treated like objects to boost sales or simply entertain their supervisors," Clarke and Jhabvala wrote about the revelations during Thursday's proceedings.             

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera defended Brian Flores on Wednesday, a day after the former Miami Dolphins head coach sued the NFL and the Dolphins, Denver Broncos and New York Giants for discriminatory hiring practices, among other allegations.

"This is a very accomplished coach," Rivera told reporters. "I can see the frustration and I can feel the frustration. It's almost as if this is your last resort. How does a guy like that get left out of the hiring cycle? If you put his resume—and took the name off and changed the team he coached for and grew up with—and put it on the table and looked at all the resumes, Brian Flores is the type of resume you point at. Let's judge on merit."

Rivera also spoke to CBS Mornings about the situation:

Coach Ron Rivera says Brian Flores’ resume and merit speak for themselves — and that the NFL has places where it can change and adapt: “If we really take a step back and look at it, we would honestly say there are some things that we have to look even deeper into.” pic.twitter.com/t3Uej2k7VR

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 2, 2022

In his lawsuit, Flores has alleged that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 per loss in 2019 in an effort to tank for a better draft pick. He also said that general manager Chris Grier told him that Ross was "mad" as the team won games late in the season and that he was "compromising [the team's] draft position."

Flores, on allegation that Steve Ross offered $100,000 per loss to enhance draft position: "To attack the integrity of the game, that's what I felt was happening in that instance and I wouldn't stand for it....

— Hal Habib (@gunnerhal) February 2, 2022

As I mention at end, I spoke with a witness who said he heard Steve Ross offer Brian Flores 100K for every 2019 loss.

Flores’ team says they have corroborating evidence including messages from GM Chris Grier. IF proven, integrity of game in Q. Dolphins denied the allegations. https://t.co/KnIPjHMhjb

— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) February 2, 2022

He also accused Ross of pressuring him to tamper after the 2019 season with a "prominent quarterback" who was still under contract with his team. He also said that in the winter of 2020, Ross invited him to have lunch on his yacht, and when he arrived, Ross told him the quarterback was also arriving for an "impromptu" meeting.

Flores said he didn't take the meeting and left, and in the aftermath of that decision, he was "treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with."

Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post reported that the quarterback in question was Tom Brady. 

Tom Brady was the quarterback Stephen Ross allegedly wanted Brian Flores to meet in an alleged yacht meeting before Brady was a free agent according to a league source

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) February 1, 2022

Flores also accused the Giants of interviewing him this offseason to fulfill their Rooney Rule obligations and never had an intention of hiring him. He presented text messages from New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick—who mistakenly texted him to congratulate him before he had even interviewed with the Giants, in a text meant to go to Brian Daboll—to support that claim. 

Former #Dolphins HC Brian Flores is suing the NFL and the Giants alleging racism in their hiring process. Flores has texts from Bill Belichick congratulating him for getting the job — but Flores had yet to interview. The text was meant for Brian Daboll. https://t.co/gmPUw9gHIq pic.twitter.com/tyTztTf3br

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 1, 2022

The Rooney Rule requires NFL teams to hold an in-person interview with at least one "minority" candidate from outside the organization for any head coaching or general manager opening.

Flores also accused the Broncos of holding a disingenuous and unprofessional interview with him in 2019, alleging that president of football operations John Elway—then the general manager—and several others arrived late to his interview and appeared as though they had been "drinking heavily the night before."

The Giants, Dolphins and Broncos separately denied the accusations, while the NFL said the allegations were "without merit."

But Flores may not be alone in raising such issues against the league. Kimberly Diemert, the executive director of the Hue Jackson Foundation, said the Cleveland Browns paid the former head coach and several former executives bonus money for tanking in both 2016 and 2017:

Congratulations #brianflores for your bravery. We have records that will help your case. DM me. @NFL and @nflcommish knew about this and covered it up. They did this @Browns . Paid Brown, DePodesta and Berry bonus $ along with @huejack10 to TANK for 2016 and 2017.@espn https://t.co/YOnqArWlnL

— Kimberly Diemert (@KimberlyDiemer1) February 2, 2022

"It's time to take a stand," Jackson texted ESPN's Jake Trotter. "What I want is what Brian [Flores] wants which is for this BS to change for Black coaches. I lived this same crap."

The Browns called tje allegations "completely fabricated" in a statement.