NFL fines WFT for fostering sexism, bullying in workplace

Tanya Snyder to run team’s operations for now as her husband steps back

The NFL has fined the Washington Football Team $10 million for fostering a workplace culture where sexual harassment, bullying and intimidation was commonplace throughout most of Daniel Snyder’s ownership, the league announced Thursday, but declined to release a detailed investigative report or address any allegations levied by former employees against Snyder.

“The culture of the club was very toxic and fell far short of the NFL’s values,” said Lisa Friel, the league’s special counsel for investigations, during a conference call with reporters.

The NFL did not suspend Snyder but said that his wife Tanya, named the team’s co-CEO earlier this week, will assume

responsibilities for all day-to-day team operations and represent the team at all league meetings and other league activities for at least the next several months. There was little to no sentiment among other owners throughout the process to force Snyder to sell the franchise, people familiar with the situation have said.

The fine was the outcome of a lengthy league investigation overseen by prominent D.C. attorney Beth Wilkinson. The NFL will not release any detailed findings from Wilkinson’s investigation beyond a news release, Friel said. In a contrast from previous league investigations, the NFL did not request any written report from Wilkinson, but instead heard her findings orally, said Friel, “due to the sensitivity of the allegations.”

The team will pay the $10 million to support organizations committed to character education, anti-bullying, healthy relationships and related topics, the NFL said. The Snyders agreed to implement 10 recommendations made by Wilkinson related to training, diversity, reporting of workplace misconduct and other issues, the league said.

“Over the past 18 months, Dan and Tanya have recognized the need for change and have undertaken important steps to make the workplace comfortable and dignified for all employees, and those changes, if sustained and built upon, should allow the club to achieve its goal of having a truly first-tier workplace,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a written statement. “I truly appreciate their commitment to fully implement each of the below ten recommendations, but the league also must ensure accountability for past deficiencies and for living up to current and future commitments.”

Snyder, in a statement, apologized to former employees who endured harassment and abuse.

“I feel great remorse for the people who had difficult, even traumatic, experiences while working here. I’m truly sorry for that. I can’t turn back the clock, but I promise that nobody who works here will ever have that kind of experience again, at least not as long as Tanya and I are the owners of this team,” Snyder said.

Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, attorneys representing more than 40 former team employees, blasted the NFL’s decision not to punish Snyder or release detailed investigative findings in a statement.

“In response to a year-long investigation in which more than 100 witnesses were interviewed, and which we believe substantiated our clients’ allegations of pervasive harassment, misogyny and abuse at the Washington Football Team, the NFL has chosen to protect owner Dan Snyder,” said Banks and Katz. “This is truly outrageous, and is a slap in the face to the hundreds of women and former employees who came forward in good faith and at great personal risk to report a culture of abuse at all levels of the Team, including by Snyder himself.”