League won’t issue report on WFT
NEW YORK — The NFL is not going to issue a report on its 10-month investigation into allegations the Washington Football Team engaged in harassment and abuse because of its promise to protect the identities of those who testified, Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday.
Speaking on Tuesday night after the first day of the NFL meetings for the 32 owners, Goodell said the league wanted to protect the roughly 150 former employees who spoke to outside counsel Beth Wilkinson, who conducted the NFL investigation.
“When you make a promise to protect the anonymity, to make sure that we get the right information, you need to stay with it,” Goodell said. “And so we’re very conscious of making sure that we’re protecting those who came forward. They were incredibly brave.”
He said the NFL did release a summary of the investigation and that Washington owner Daniel Snyder has not been allowed to handle any of the day-today operations of the franchise since July.
“I do think he has been held accountable and the organization has been held accountable,” Goodell said.
Earlier in the day, members of the NFL’s Social Justice Working Group and the owners were given a copy of a letter by two former employees of the Washington Football Team asking them to make public a report.
“I love for this to be a learning point, not just for the NFL, but for leagues and teams all across that this shouldn’t be hidden,” said Ana Nunez, who worked in the team’s business department until 2019.
“There shouldn’t be, no workplace is perfect which is understandable, but there has to be a level of accountability when it comes to toxic culture and sexual harassment.”
COWBOYS: Dallas placed defensive lineman Brent Urban and cornerback Maurice Canady on injured reserve Tuesday, sidelining both for at least three games.
Urban has a triceps injury, and Canady sustained a concussion in Dallas’ last game, a 35-29 overtime victory against New England on Oct. 17. The moves came a day after the Cowboys shifted receiver Michael Gallup to the IR-designated for return list.
Gallup hasn’t played since straining a calf in the opener. Quarterback Dak Prescott strained his right calf on the winning touchdown pass in overtime against the Patriots, but the Cowboys are hopeful he won’t miss a game.
Defensive tackle Trysten Hill returned to practice this week, as did Gallup this week. Hill, who tore an anterior cruciate ligament last year, has been on the physically unable to perform list all season.
The Cowboys are at Minnesota on Sunday.
BRONCOS: Denver is trying to get its two reinforcements for its obliterated linebacking group up to speed — and fast — so they can play Sunday against Washington.
The Broncos acquired pass rusher Stephen Weatherly from the Vikings and inside linebacker Kenny Young from the Rams over the weekend, swapping draft picks and taking on a total of $2.25 million in remaining salary for the pair.
Denver is down both starting inside linebackers and both starting outside linebackers as it tries to halt a four-game skid and salvage the season.
Inside linebackers Josey Jewell and Alexander Johnson are recovering from season-ending torn chest muscles and outside linebackers Bradley Chubb and Von Miller are dealing with ankle injuries. Chubb is recovering from a September surgery and Miller is day to day after spraining his left ankle Thursday night at Cleveland.
Additionally, some of their backups are ailing with outside linebacker Andre Mintze (hamstring) and inside linebackers Micah Kiser (groin, IR), Curtis Robinson (wrist, thumb) and rookie Baron Browning (concussion) all hurt. Robinson was waived Tuesday.
Weatherly arrived Monday and Young got to Denver on Tuesday just before practice.
PACKERS: Green Bay’s decimated receiving group has taken one more hit as the Packers prepare to face the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals.
Allen Lazard joined 2020 All-Pro wideout Davante Adams on the reserve/ COVID-19 list Tuesday. Adams was placed on the list Monday.
That means neither receiver is likely to play Thursday at Arizona (7-0).
The Packers (6-1) have a short week to prepare for a road test against the NFL’s lone remaining unbeaten team.
They also likely will be without defensive coordinator Joe Barry, who tested positive this week. Receiver Malik Taylor had been on the reserve/COVID-19 list since Oct. 15, but was activated Tuesday.
TOMLIN: Note to bigtime college football programs looking for new coaches: Mike Tomlin isn’t interested.
The Pittsburgh Steelers coach said Tuesday he considers it a “joke” that his name has popped up as a potential candidate for places such as Southern California.
“I got one of the best jobs and in all the professional sports, why would I have any interest in coaching college football?” said Tomlin, who has been the team’s head coach since 2007.
APOLOGY: Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair has apologized for referring to the novel coronavirus as the “China virus” during the team’s charity golf tournament in May.
The phrase, used frequently by former president Donald Trump, was considered by many to be insensitive to Asians because it placed blame on China for the COVID-19 pandemic. The first recorded cases of COVID-19 occurred in Wuhan, China, in late 2019.
OBITUARY: Mike Lucci, a Pro Bowl linebacker who played nine seasons with Detroit, died Tuesday at age 81 after an extended illness.