Playing the role of the out-of-office billionaire during the Washington Commanders workplace harassment scandal, team owner Dan Snyder was shocked to discover that the team he’s owned since 1999 was reportedly having such terrible problems, even though he’d the Veracity not questioned the above problems.
Specifically, he claimed he was “unaware” of the allegations until they were reported by the Washington Post and complained of being “too distant as an owner” in a statement released shortly after the scandal broke.
A group of former Washington employees have testified to Congress that that simply wasn’t the case, according to The Washington Post.
Snyder’s claims have also since been undermined by two allegations against him by former female employees, one claiming he touched her leg and trying to push her into his limousine and one claiming he groped her and tried to pick her up undressing the back of a private aircraft.
Ex-Washington staffers don’t believe a lack of Dan Snyder was the problem
The Post reports Dave Pauken, who served as Washington’s chief operating officer from 2001 to 2006, portrayed Snyder as the heart of an “abusive relationship” and flatly denied that Snyder was ever “hands off.”
From the post:
“The culture back then was what Dan wanted the culture to be,” said Pauken, who testified under oath after being subpoenaed by the panel. “…I think in the end it all comes from the owner Dan Snyder.”
When asked about Snyder’s claim that he was just too “hands off,” Pauken described him more as an owner who was immersed in every detail of the organization.
“My reaction was that that’s not a true statement,” Pauken said. When asked for more details, he said, “I have no experience with him, nor have any of my colleagues gotten their hands on him.”
Pauken reportedly said he regrets many things he did for Snyder while working for him, including not rolling back Snyder’s insistence that female employees be fired for relationships in the office without sanctioning the men and milk to pour under the rug of Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner Suite to make it rancid.
The story goes on
He didn’t paint a pleasant picture when it came to Snyder’s character:
More than once, Pauken said, before kickoff, Snyder called him to the owner’s box overlooking FedEx Field, where the owner and a friend were watching the cheerleaders practice before the game.
“He would say to his friend, ‘Hey, do you think Dave is gay?'” Pauken testified. “And his boyfriend would say, ‘Yeah, he must be gay.’ And Dan would say, “Yeah, he must be gay, as ugly as those cheerleaders are. cramming, are you gay? you must be gay How could you have a cheerleading squad that looked like that?’”
Other witnesses included Jason Friedman, a marketing director who worked for the team for 24 years, who described a culture of fear in the workplace, and Brian Lafemina, a former chief operating officer and president of business operations, who said Snyder personally shot one down a female employee’s complaint of misconduct by play-by-play announcer Larry Michael because Michael was “a darling”.
Michael later resigned in 2020 before allegations of misconduct were made public by the Post.
Dan Snyder remains under fire as allegations of commanders’ misconduct unfolded. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The Washington cheerleader said Dan Snyder’s workplace overhaul included visits from PIs
Another common comment that Snyder has been fond of making amid the scandal is the idea that the team used to have issues but was in the process of fixing them.
A former cheerleader said part of the process of fixing them was sending private investigators to former employees’ homes:
Abigail Dymond Welch, an eight-year veteran and former captain of the team’s cheerleading squad, told the committee about events that took place in the months after the workplace allegations surfaced publicly and the team conducted its front-office overhaul. Welch said a private investigator who said he was “working on behalf of the Washington Redskins” showed up at her Texas home in April and May 2021 to follow “interactions” with Bruce Allen and the team’s investigation into sexual misconduct ask.
Welch told the committee that she is aware of “maybe five” other former cheerleaders who have also had their homes visited by private investigators looking for similar information.
The commanders dismissed the Post’s reporting in a statement while also praising the progress it said it had made since the allegations of workplace misconduct were reported:
Offered the opportunity to respond to the specific allegations in the committee’s materials, a spokesperson for Snyder made the following statement: “Despite Mr. Snyder’s continued apologies and regret for the historical issues that have arisen within the team, the The Washington Post made it clear that he attacked his character and ignored the successful efforts of Dan and Tanya Snyder, along with Jason Wright and coach Ron Rivera, over the past two years to bring about a remarkable transformation of the organization. The Snyders will remain focused on their league-leading fight to bring more respect and much-needed diversity and equality in the workplace in the face of constant and unfounded attacks from the media and elsewhere.”
Where are the allegations of the commanders at the moment
As handy as Snyder allegedly was, one of the changes made after attorney Beth Wilkinson wrapped her investigation was that he relinquished day-to-day operations of the team while his wife was installed as co-CEO. The NFL also fined the team $10 million.
That was not the end of the investigation into the Commanders, however, as the NFL has since opened a second investigation led by Mary Jo White into the allegations against Snyder.
There’s also the matter of Congress, whose subpoenas Snyder is currently dodging. That investigation is ongoing and could include allegations of financial impropriety against other NFL teams.