Snyder Avoided Congressional Subpoena, Dodged Questions: Report

ASHBURN, VA — Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder tried to avoid a congressional subpoena by staying on his yacht and "failed to provide full and complete testimony" when he sat for a deposition, according to a report from the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

(See the full report at the bottom of this story.)

The full report was released on Thursday after an investigation that began in 2021. Committee members claimed Snyder knowingly fostered a hostile workplace, interfered with an NFL investigation, and intimidated witnesses through his own shadow investigation.

Snyder and the Commanders have been embroiled in controversy for several years. Recently, the organization has confirmed that Snyder is considering selling the team. FOX Sports reporter Jay Glazer has reported that the team could fetch up to $7 billion. A sale could be finalized at the NFL league meetings in the spring.

The congressional report also reiterated claims from the D.C. Attorney General's Office that the NFL and the Washington Commanders misled the public about the league's investigation into the Commanders. Authorities claimed the NFL set up a secret common interest agreement with Snyder about what information would be made public. This kept more than 40,000 documents from being turned over to the congressional committee.

Snyder refused to appear at one of the committee's public hearings. The committee report alleges that Snyder stayed aboard his yacht to avoid being served a subpoena. Snyder eventually testified during a private, remote deposition.

"Over the course of the deposition, he claimed more than 100 times that he could not recall the answers to the Committee’s questions, including basic inquiries about his role as Team owner and multiple allegations of misconduct," the committee report said. "Mr. Snyder also gave misleading testimony about his efforts to interfere with the Wilkinson Investigation," which was the NFL's investigation into Commanders workplace misconduct,

The committee's report also said Snyder attempted to hide a $1.6 million settlement related to a 2009 sexual assault allegation.

Snyder used a proxy to sue the NFL's independent investigator to prevent her from accessing documents related to the settlement, the committee said.

Throughout the NFL and congressional investigation, Snyder and the Commanders used non-disclosure agreements to ensure silence from former employees; Snyder disputed this claim during testimony.

"Mr. Snyder refused to release [former cheerleader] Ms. [Abigail Dymond] Welch and other witnesses from their non-disclosure agreements to facilitate their full and complete testimony before the Committee," the report said.

Snyder also offered hush money to former employees during the NFL investigation, the committee claimed.

"New evidence shows that in February 2021, lawyers for Mr. Snyder 'offered financial compensation' to former employees 'who did not have live legal claims, but who had been vocal in their criticisms of the Team in order to secure additional non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and keep them from talking further,'" according to the committee's report.

Former employees, including former general manager Bruce Allen, said Snyder sent private investigators to their homes. Allen also testified that Snyder had discussed hiring private investigators to obtain information about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Private investigators showed up at Allen's home in Arizona in 2021. The report claims the private investigators told Allen they were "just here to follow" and "document your actions."

Allen also said the Commanders were responsible for leaking emails that had been sent to his team account. The emails were sent by Jon Gruden, who was working as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders when the emails were leaked.

The emails included racist tropes, homophobia, and misogynistic ideas. After a public outcry, Gruden resigned from his position.

John Brownlee and Stuart Nash are the counsel for the Washington Commanders.

"These Congressional investigators demonstrated, almost immediately, that they were not interested in the truth, and were only interested in chasing headlines by pursuing one side of the story," the team's attorneys said in a statement. "Today's report is the predictable culmination of that one-sided approach."

Brownlee and Nash claimed the committee lacked evidence to accuse Snyder of witness intimidation, and urged the committee to release a full transcript of his deposition.

"Today's report does not advance public knowledge of the Washington Commanders workplace in any way," Brownlee and Nash said. "The team is proud of the progress it has made in recent years in establishing a welcoming and inclusive workplace, and it looks forward to future success, both on and off the field."

Last month, the D.C. Attorney General's Office announced a lawsuit against Snyder and the NFL. The civil consumer protection lawsuit claimed that Goodell and the Washington Commanders failed and misled the public by allowing Snyder to interfere with the NFL investigation into workplace misconduct.

Read more: Snyder, NFL Interfered In Harassment Investigation: DC Lawsuit

"The Committee’s investigation shows that the NFL has not protected workers from sexual harassment and abuse, has failed to ensure victims can speak out without fear of retaliation, and has not sought true accountability for those responsible, even after decades of misconduct," the report said. "Congress should act swiftly to address these deficiencies and protect workers across the United States."

Dozens of former team employees spoke with the committee throughout its investigation. Several of the employees are represented by attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz.

"Today, after a lengthy and wide-ranging investigation, the Committee on Oversight and Reform issued a comprehensive report that definitively details not only the extensive sexual harassment that occurred, but also owner Dan Snyder’s involvement in that sexual harassment and his efforts to obstruct the various investigations into that scandal," Banks and Katz said in a statement. "The report also reveals the NFL’s shameless efforts to cover up the wrongdoing and protect Mr. Snyder at all costs."

Representative James Comer (R-KY) is scheduled to take over as the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform next month. In a statement, he lambasted the committee's report.

"From the beginning, Committee Democrats’ so-called ‘investigation’ into the Washington Commanders only served to deliberately target a private organization, gain cheap headlines, and ignore any information that did not align with their predetermined narrative," Comer said. "Over the course of this sham investigation, the NFL and Washington Commanders cooperated and made efforts to ensure all relevant information was included and provided to Committee Members. As I’ve said from the start, the Oversight Committee is not the appropriate venue for this review and this effort is a misuse of resources."

Related:

• Commanders Under Investigation For 'Financial Improprieties': ESPN
• Dan Snyder Has Dirt To 'Blow Up' NFL Owners, Commissioner
• Removing Dan Snyder Should Be Considered, Fellow NFL Owner Says
• Commanders Owner Dan Snyder Accused Of Sexual Assault
• Washington Football Team Fined $10M After NFL Investigation
• Matthew McConaughey Eyes Commanders Bid With Bezos, Jay-Z: Report

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