Snyder, Goodell, league sued by DC attorney general
WASHINGTON >> Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell were sued by the District of Columbia on Thursday, accused of colluding to deceive fans by lying about an inquiry into “sexual misconduct and a persistently hostile work environment” within the team.
The individual club and the league as a whole were also named in the consumer protection civil lawsuit, which D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said was based on his office’s investigation that began in the fall of 2021.
Racine said the defendants jointly “misled the public” about the contents of, and procedure surrounding lawyer Beth Wilkinson’s examination of the team’s workplace culture that began in 2020. His office seeks a court order that will force the league to release Wilkinson’s findings.
Racine said that even
though the team practices in Virginia and plays its games in Maryland, it is strongly connected to Washington and violated D.C. consumers’ rights. Racine said the capital city’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act provides for fines of up to $5,000 per lie — which his office estimated could result in millions
of dollars in penalties.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Wilkinson’s investigation was thoroughly and comprehensively conducted, the league publicly released a summary and imposed a record-setting fine of $10 million on the team and its ownership.
NFL SEES HIGHER GRADES
FOR GENDER HIRING >> The NFL posted significant gains in hiring women for coaching, team front-office and league-headquarters positions, according to an annual diversity report.
The report card from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at Central Florida assigned an overall B grade for the league, with a B-plus for racial hiring and a B for gender hiring. The report examined a range of positions at the league office and within franchises using data for the 2022 season. SOURCE: RAIDERS PLACE TE WALLER, WR RENFROW ON IR >> Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow were placed on injured reserve, according to a person familiar with the moves.
Waller has missed the past three games with a hamstring injury, and Renfrow has been dealing with rib and hamstring injuries. Each will sit out at least the next four games.
BILLS QB ALLEN MISSES 2ND
STRAIGHT DAY OF PRACTICE >> Josh Allen missed his second straight practice because of a sprained throwing elbow, further clouding the Buffalo Bills quarterback’s chances of playing against the NFC Northleading Minnesota Vikings this weekend.
Allen was hurt in the final minutes of a 20-17 loss to the New York Jets last Sunday. He was spotted wearing a brace on his right arm after missing practice on Wednesday.
Baseball
JUDGE, DEGROM AMONG 14 WITH QUALIFYING OFFERS >> Aaron Judge, Jacob deGrom and Xander Bogaerts were among 14 free agents who were given $19.65 million qualifying offers by their former teams.
Dansby Swanson, Trea Turner, Willson Contreras and Carlos Rodón also were given the offers, as were Chris Bassitt, Brandon Nimmo, Nathan Eovaldi, Anthony Rizzo, Joc Pederson, Martín Pérez and Tyler
Anderson.
Players have until Nov. 20 to accept, and top players are expected to decline and pursue more lucrative longterm contracts on the freeagent market. Players can discuss financial offers with all teams starting Friday. VERLANDER DECLINES $25M ASTROS OPTION >> Justin Verlander declined a $25 million option with the Houston Astros to become a free agent, five days after helping the team with its second World Series title.
The 39-year-old righthander likely headed to his third Cy Young Award got his first World Series win in nine starts in Game 5 against Philadelphia. He was among four players who became free agents, raising the total to 165. PIRATES ACQUIRE 1B JI-MAN CHOI FROM RAYS >> The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired first baseman Ji-Man Choi from Tampa Bay in exchange for minor league pitcher Sam Hartman.
The 31-year-old Choi is a career .239 hitter.