Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young isn't expected to be ready for the start of the regular season while he continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered in November.

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said Friday on 106.7 The Fan (via Ben Standig of The Athletic) the edge-rusher is going to miss "a little bit of time" to open the 2022 campaign.

Young started training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. ESPN's John Keim reported in June that Young could start the season on injured reserve.

The 23-year-old tore his ACL in Week 10 of the 2021 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He posted 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 26 tackles and four quarterback hits in nine games before being sidelined.

Losing Young was a tough blow to the Washington defense, as he was expected to take the next step in his career after an impressive rookie campaign.

He posted 7.5 sacks, four pass breakups, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 44 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and 12 quarterback hits in 15 games en route to a Defensive Rookie of the Year award and a Pro Bowl selection in 2020.

The Commanders will need defensive linemen Montez Sweat, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen to continue carrying the defense while James Smith-Williams steps up at Young's position during his absence.

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder will testify for Congress' House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Thursday, but his appearance won't be under oath.

ESPN's John Keim reported committee chairwoman Carolyn Maloney agreed to allow Snyder to testify voluntarily over Zoom about allegations related to the NFL franchise's workplace culture after he'd turned down previous requests to speak under oath.

A statement from the committee said the Commanders owner has "committed to providing full and complete testimony, and to answer the committee's questions about his knowledge of and contributions to the Commanders' toxic work environment, as well as his efforts to interfere with the NFL's internal investigation, without hiding behind non-disclosure or other confidentiality agreements."

In June, Maloney announced she planned to subpoena Snyder for a deposition because of his "continued and unfounded refusal to provide voluntary testimony."

"Mr. Snyder's refusal to testify sends a clear signal that he is more concerned about protecting himself than coming clean to the American public. If the NFL is unwilling to hold Mr. Snyder accountable, then I am prepared to do so," Maloney said at the time. "The Committee will not be deterred in its investigation to uncover the truth of workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders."

The subpoena wasn't served because the Commanders owner has remained out of the country, telling the committee his family is in Israel commemorating the one-year anniversary of his mother's death, but the committee noted it remains "prepared to compel his testimony on any unanswered questions upon his return to the United States," according to Keim.

Snyder's testimony will occur in private, but the committee has the option to release all or a portion of the transcript, per Keim.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell testified before the Oversight and Reform Committee in June, saying the conduct unearthed within the Washington organization during an independent investigation ordered by the league was "not acceptable."

"I have not seen a workplace in the NFL that is anywhere near what we saw in the context of that period of time for the Washington Commanders," Goodell said.

The commissioner stopped short of saying he'd recommend forcing Snyder to sell the franchise, though.

In July 2021, the NFL announced a $10 million fine for the Commanders based on "highly unprofessional" actions within the workplace "both generally and particularly for women" that included bullying, intimidation and multiple allegations of sexual harassment.

The committee's probe expanded in April when former team employee Jason Friedman alleged the organization falsified financial records in order to convert money ticketed for the NFL's revenue-sharing system into non-shareable revenue, per Keim.

Washington denied the claims, calling them "false and reckless."

Snyder, a 57-year-old Maryland native, became the majority owner of the Commanders in 1999 and bought out his business partners in April 2021 to make his family the sole owner of the franchise.

The team has qualified for the playoffs just six times in 23 seasons under Snyder's guidance, and it's never advanced beyond the divisional round of the postseason during his ownership.

The Washington Commanders and wide receiver Terry McLaurin have reportedly agreed to a three-year contract extension worth as much as $71 million, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Schefter also noted the contract includes a $28 million signing bonus, "the largest given to any wide receiver, and also has 76.4 percent of the new money in deal guaranteed." The deal will make McLaurin one of the top five highest-paid wide receivers, per Schefter.

Washington selected McLaurin with the 76th pick in the 2019 NFL draft out of Ohio State. He immediately became the team's top wideout during his rookie year with 58 catches for 919 yards and seven scores.

The former Buckeye then paced the 2020 NFC East champions with 87 catches for 1,118 yards and four touchdowns in 2020. He followed that up with a 77/1,053/5 stat line in 2021.

McLaurin was entering the final year of his rookie deal, but Washington has now locked him up long-term.

It wasn't a surprise to see that happen, especially after head coach Ron Rivera made it clear he wanted to see McLaurin stick around when speaking with Ben Standig of The Athletic in February.

"We have a tremendous amount of interest in making sure these guys are with us going forward," Rivera said regarding McLaurin and defensive lineman Daron Payne.

Other teams were looking at McLaurin as a potential trade candidate if extension talks broke down, per Standig on April 4.

"Meanwhile, teammates are eyeing how the organization handles one of the faces of the franchise," Standig wrote. "Other teams are monitoring in case an opening to acquire McLaurin emerges."

McLaurin sat out of offseason team activities as contract talks were ongoing, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post on May 23.

Rivera spoke briefly on the matter the next day:

Ultimately, McLaurin is staying in Washington for a while. It's especially important to keep McLaurin in Washington for quarterback Carson Wentz, who arrived via trade from the Indianapolis Colts this offseason. Having a top target can only help the transition as the team looks for its first playoff win since 2005.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that he does not "have the authority" to remove Dan Snyder as owner of the Washington Commanders.

Goodell's comments come after he was asked whether or not Snyder would be removed as an NFL owner during the House Committee on Oversight and Reform's hearing regarding the Commanders' alleged toxic workplace environment and the league's investigation of the matter.

An anonymous NFL owner told USA Today's Jarrett Bell last month that owners were "counting votes" to remove Snyder as owner of the Commanders. Removing Snyder as an owner would take 24 votes among league owners.

Another anonymous owner said there was "growing frustration" about the situation. But when Goodell was also asked last month if he sensed frustration among the owners regarding Snyder, he responded:

"No, I don't. ... Let's wait and get the facts," Goodell said at the time.

Goodell was asked to appear at the Oversight Committee's hearing to answer questions about the NFL's investigation into the Commanders' toxic workplace environment, which resulted in the league fining the organization $10 million.

Snyder was urged to appear at the hearing either in person or virtually, but he did not testify on Wednesday. Karen Patton Seymour, Snyder's attorney, previously told the committee he would be traveling out of the country because of "a longstanding Commanders-related business conflict" and would not be able to attend, but the committee responded saying the hearing would go on with or without him.

Since Snyder did not appear at Wednesday's hearing, Oversight Committee Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney announced Wednesday that he will be subpoenaed to testify next week, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The Oversight Committee has been investigating Snyder and the Commanders' workplace culture since October. Snyder is also being investigated on allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct.

In addition, the Commanders are being investigated by the Virginia attorney general's office for financial improprieties. The franchise allegedly withheld security deposits from season-ticket holders and had two accounting books to avoid sending money to the league's revenue-sharing pool.

Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder allegedly went to great lengths in an attempt to discredit former team employees who spoke out regarding the Commanders' alleged toxic workplace culture.

According to Mark Maske, Liz Clarke and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, who is the chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, released a 29-page memo detailing the alleged actions of Snyder and the Commanders on Wednesday ahead of a Capitol Hill hearing regarding the organization's work environment.

In one portion of the memo, Maloney wrote:

"This memorandum describes evidence uncovered by the Committee demonstrating that although publicly, the NFL and Commanders touted the hiring of a respected D.C. attorney [Beth Wilkinson] to conduct an internal investigation of the Commanders' toxic workplace, privately, Commanders owner Daniel Snyder launched a shadow investigation in an apparent effort to discredit his accusers in the eyes of the NFL and offer up an alternative target for the investigation. Bound together by an agreement to pursue a common interest and a joint legal strategy, the NFL and Commanders ultimately buried Ms. Wilkinson's findings."

Maloney added: "Lawyers for Mr. Snyder used their shadow investigation to create a 100-slide dossier with emails, text messages, telephone records, and social media posts from journalists, victims, and witnesses who had made credible public accusations of harassment against the Commanders."

After the preliminary findings were released, Snyder released a statement through a spokesperson, via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post:

The NFL hired Wilkinson to conduct an investigation into the Commanders, which led to the league fining the Commanders $10 million and forcing Snyder to surrender control of the team to his wife, Tanya Snyder, "for at least the next several months" last July.

As more allegations have come to light, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform requested the presence of both NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Snyder for Wednesday's hearing. Goodell is expected to appear and speak, while Snyder declined.

Multiple allegations have been levied against the Commanders organization, including sexual misconduct against Snyder himself.

In February, former Commanders cheerleader and marketing manager Tiffani Johnston said during a congressional roundtable that Snyder once touched her thigh underneath the table at a team dinner and attempted to guide her toward his limo.

On Tuesday, Will Hobson of the Washington Post reported that a female team employee said in 2009 that Snyder sexually harassed and assaulted her. The Commanders ultimately settled with the woman for $1.6 million in exchange for confidentiality.

Snyder denied the allegations made by both Johnston and the other female employee, and added that the Commanders only agreed to the $1.6 million settlement based on the "guidance of an insurance company."

Former Commanders COO David Pauken has also spoken out about the organization's workplace culture, alleging a lack of equality in the way male and female employees were treated.

Pauken said female employees were punished and even fired in some cases for having consensual relationships with male employees, while the male employees were not reprimanded.

He also said Snyder's response to an allegation that a coach had groped a public relations employee, Snyder told the PR worker to "stay away from the coach," rather than disciplining the coach.

In her memo, Maloney alleged that the NFL and the Commanders essentially conspired to obstruct Wilkinson's investigation into the organization, including asking her for only an oral report rather than a written one, making it impossible to release the findings.

A second investigation has been launched by the NFL into the Commanders, however, with attorney Mary Jo White leading it.

Unlike the Wilkinson investigation, Goodell has said that White's findings will be released when the investigation concludes.

Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder again confirmed he will not testify before the United States Congress' House Oversight Committee, per Tisha Thompson of ESPN.

The committee is investigating allegations of a toxic workplace environment within the franchise and requested an appearance by Snyder on Jan. 22. After the attorney for Snyder initially declined the request, chairperson Carolyn Maloney urged him to reconsider and said he would be allowed to testify virtually.

Attorney Karen Patton Seymour responded with a letter Monday, confirming Snyder will not testify.

"Mr. Snyder's business conflict was scheduled long before then and cannot be rescheduled," the letter stated, via Thompson. "Moreover, your letter's suggestion that Mr. Snyder may testify remotely does not address my concern that a virtual appearance would not sufficiently protect Mr. Snyder's interest in having his counsel physically present with him."

The initial response stated that Snyder would be out of the country through the end of June.

Though the latest letter reiterated the Snyders "remain fully willing to cooperate," the committee struck a different tone after the recent news.

"His refusal to testify sends an unmistakable signal that Mr. Snyder has something to hide and is afraid of coming clean to the American public and addressing major worker protection concerns facing the NFL," a House Oversight Committee spokesperson told Thompson.

The NFL had its own investigation into the Commanders and fined the organization $10 million, although no written report was made public.

Congress opened its own investigation into the workplace culture, which uncovered a new allegation of sexual harassment against Snyder himself. Another former employee accused the organization of financial impropriety while withholding money meant for league-sharing.

Snyder has still chosen not to present his version of the events to the committee, which will move forward with the hearing on Wednesday.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has accepted the invitation to testify and will appear virtually.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson could be in for a big rookie season after impressing during the team's mandatory minicamp.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler provided the latest intel on Monday's SportsCenter:

Jahan Dotson, very impressive first-round rookie. While [Terry McLaurin] was out, Dotson took center stage in minicamp. I was there last week, and I was told they are very impressed with what they saw. I spoke with head coach Ron Rivera. He said this guy is a precise route-runner, very fast, very smart. He has been as advertised. They took him in the first round, 16th overall. Some execs and some scouts I talked to thought that was a little rich for him. Good player, but they thought maybe he was more late first round. Washington doesn't care. They love the guy that they got so far.

No. 1 receiver Terry McLaurin skipped minicamp as he seeks a new contract, leaving a major hole in the passing attack. Dotson is apparently ready to help fill it.

The former Penn State star finished his last collegiate season with 91 catches for 1,182 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns as the team's primary offensive weapon. With 13 total touchdowns, he had more than three times the amount of anyone else on the roster in 2021.

He could have a similar impact for Washington, which finished last season just 23rd in points scored (19.7 per game) and 21st in total yards (5,502). McLaurin was the only player on the team with more than 400 receiving yards. Running backs J.D. McKissic and Antonio Gibson ranked second and third, respectively, in catches behind McLaurin.

Other contributing receivers such as Adam Humphries and DeAndre Carter were not retained in free agency.

That means even if McLaurin settles his contract dispute and returns to the Commanders, Dotson has a huge opportunity to thrive as the No. 2 option. With the rookie taking advantage of his extra snaps in practices, McLaurin's holdout could end up being a blessing in disguise for Washington.