CNN —
DC Attorney General Karl Racine on Thursday announced a lawsuit against embattled Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder, the team and the NFL, alleging they worked together to help DC residents over an NFL investigation the team’s toxic work culture and allegations of sexual assault.
“For years, the team and its owner did very real and very serious damage and then lied about it to evade accountability and continue to make profits,” Racine said Thursday. “So far they seem to have gotten away with it, but that stops today.”
The lawsuit alleges that these deceptive efforts were aimed at keeping fans in the dark and boosting profits for the team. The lawsuit relates to the District of Columbia’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act, which gives the Attorney General broad powers to hold an individual or a company accountable for misleading customers.
The AG’s investigation, which began last fall, found that Snyder lied to DC residents when he denied knowing anything about allegations of a hostile work environment and a culture of sexual harassment within the team, Racine said.
“Indeed, the evidence shows that Snyder was not only aware of the toxic culture within his organization, he encouraged and participated in it,” Racine said. “Mr. Snyder exercised a high degree of personal control over everything the Commanders did, and his misconduct gave others permission to treat women in the same degrading manner.”
The NFL and Commanders launched what they said was an independent investigation into the allegations, but secretly struck an agreement to give Snyder power over what could be shared with the public, according to the lawsuit. At the same time, Snyder and the team attempted to disrupt and impede the investigation, the lawsuit states.
Ultimately, the NFL issued a brief press release summarizing the findings of the investigation, but said it did not receive a written investigation report due to confidentiality concerns, the lawsuit states.
“Does any part of this investigation sound independent? Does any of that sound like accountability?” Racine said. “Of course not. That’s why we’re suing.”
Racine is now demanding unspecified fines for every incident in which the parties have lied to residents since July 2020. The attorney general said the penalties could run into millions of dollars. The lawsuit also seeks a court order forcing the NFL to release all findings of its 10-month investigation into commanders’ work culture.
Commanders Counsel John Brownlee and Stuart Nash issued a joint statement in response to the lawsuit.
“More than two years ago, Dan and Tanya Snyder acknowledged that an unacceptable workplace culture had existed in their organization for several years, and they have apologized many times for allowing it to happen,” they said. “We agree with AG Racine on one thing: the public needs to know the truth. Although the lawsuit repeats many innuendoes, half-truths and lies, we welcome this opportunity to defend the organization – for the first time – in court and establish once and for all what is fact and what is fiction.”
NFL Vice President of Communications Brian McCarthy dismissed the allegations as baseless.
“The independent investigation into workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders was thorough and comprehensive conducted by Beth Wilkinson and her law firm. Upon completion of the investigation, the NFL released a summary of Ms. Wilkinson’s findings and imposed a record-breaking fine on the club and its owner,” he said.
“We reject the legally baseless and factually baseless allegations made today by the DC Attorney General against the NFL and Commissioner Goodell, and we will vigorously defend these allegations.”
The announcement is just the latest issue for the Commanders, the newly branded team embroiled in several major investigations. Once one of the NFL’s first franchises, the team has had minimal on-field success and consistent off-field controversy over the past two decades under Snyder.
Snyder announced last week that he is considering selling the team and that he and his wife have hired Bank of America Securities “to review possible transactions.”
The allegations stem from a 2020 Washington Post report in which 15 female former Commanders employees and two journalists who covered the team accused team employees of sexual harassment and verbal abuse.
After an investigation by attorney Beth Wilkinson, the NFL fined the team $10 million, and Snyder turned over control of the day-to-day operations of the franchise to his wife, Tanya Snyder.
However, the NFL declined to publicly release the findings of the investigation, prompting Congress to participate in a House Oversight Committee review. Commissioner Goodell testified before the panel in June that the commanders’ culture had been “not only unprofessional but toxic for far too long”.
Goodell said the team did not receive a written report from Wilkinson to protect the confidentiality of those who participated in the internal investigation.
Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who represent over 40 former Commanders employees, released a statement praising the lawsuit and urging the NFL to declassify the Wilkinson investigation.
“Today’s civil lawsuit filed by the DC Attorney General against the Washington Commanders Dan Snyder, the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell is further evidence of what we have known for a long time: that both the Commanders and the NFL are engaged in deception and involved lies to cover up the team’s decades of sexual harassment and abuse, which have not only impacted victims of that abuse, but consumers in the District of Columbia as well.
“Filing this complaint is also an important step in validating the experiences of the courageous women and men who have come forward and, for the first time, in achieving a degree of transparency as to the extent of the wrongdoing.
“For far too long, the NFL has actively concealed the wrongdoing of the Washington Commanders and shielded Mr. Snyder from responsibility at every turn. The NFL needs to understand that sexual harassment and abuse cannot be tolerated or concealed.”
The troubles off the field were also felt by the players and the team, who are now sitting on a disappointing 4-5 record, good for last spot in the NFC East.
“Since I got here, a dark cloud has hung over our organization,” Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste told the Journal de Québec on Saturday. “Every time something good happens on the field, something bad happens off the field. A fresh start would give us new energy and win back the trust of the fans.”
The commanders also faced harsh criticism for a inflammatory statement released Wednesday that used the shooting of Brian Robinson Jr in August to resist the lawsuit.
Racine’s office announced Wednesday that he would hold a press conference the next day to make an “important announcement” regarding the commanders. In response, the Commanders issued a statement referencing Robinson’s shooting and criticizing their hometown for “runaway violent crime.”
“Less than three months ago, a 23-year-old player on our team was shot multiple times in broad daylight,” a Commanders spokesman said in the statement. “Despite the out of control violent crime in DC, the Washington Commanders first learned on Twitter today that the DC Attorney General will be holding a press conference tomorrow to make ‘an important announcement’ related to the organization.
“It is unfortunate that in his final days in office, Mr Racine seems more interested in making flashy headlines based on outlandish legal theories than doing the hard work of making the streets safe for our citizens, including law enforcement people who shot one of our players.”
Robinson, a rookie running back, was shot twice during an attempted armed robbery in August. He missed the first month of the season due to injuries but has since recovered and returned to the field. Two teenagers were arrested in connection with the shooting last week.
Robinson’s agent Ryan Williams tweeted his displeasure at the commanders’ testimony on Wednesday night.
“Up until an hour ago, the Commanders were handling the situation with Brian Robinson with such care, honesty and class. And I was so grateful for all of that,” Williams said in a tweet on Wednesday. “While I know some great people live in this building, the one behind this statement is not one of them.”
Commanders President Jason Wright issued another statement later Wednesday, saying the earlier statement “expressed our outside counsel’s continued frustration with the Attorney General’s Office.”
“The attorneys’ legitimate frustrations with AG should have been separate and independent from reference to the horrific crime that involved our player,” Wright said.