It was reported after further allegations surfaced against the Washington Football Team regarding workplace conduct that they would be carrying out an ‘independent’ investigation about the claims made by more than a dozen former employees, some of their accounts being backed up by current employees.
The league’s own website reported yesterday that the NFL informed Washington owner Daniel Snyder that they would be taking over the investigation, writing that Snyder was “supportive” of the step, which of course sounds absurd for obvious reasons, including the fact that the called the Washington Post article relaying the allegations as a “hit job” and stating that there were other motivations behind it.
The issue remaining is the fact that the ‘independent’ investigator that Washington hired to look into the allegations remains on board to lead the investigation, so if Roger Goodell really wants to make this look impartial, then he’s going to have to hire somebody else to step in. You cannot possibly claim that an investigation is truly independent when the investigator was hired by the person or organization being investigated.
This is, of course, the second articles published by the Washington Post that has broadcast allegations from now dozens of former employees, all of whom allege some type of misconduct or another, generally consisting of inappropriate behavior in and outside of the workplace. A number of the individuals who were named in the original report were no longer with the organization or were promptly fired or forced to resign.
All of this comes amid a time in which the organization is trying to reshape its image, headlined by the long-anticipated move to abandon the ‘Redskins’ moniker that has been in place for nearly 90 years. Until they establish a new name, they will be known as the Washington Football Team.
The hiring of Ron Rivera as head coach, and recently bringing in Jason Wright as the first black president of an NFL club, were also key moves in leading this transition of the club as Snyder looks to escape the reputation of the past.
Many feel, however, that the only way the team can ever truly and fully move on is for Snyder to sell the team. The latest allegations do include some against Snyder, with one former cheerleader alleging that she was told the owner personally requested that ‘outtakes’ of cheerleader promotional work be filmed and provided to him.
As we stand here today, it still seems rather farfetched that this will reach the point to which Snyder would be pressured—either publicly or privately—to sell the team. After all, he has been renowned as one of the worst owners in all of professional sports for many years.
