Congress Asks NFL for WFT Investigation Emails

A letter from Congress could blow open a scandal that the NFL has taken steps to contain.

Two members of Congress asked for over 650,000 emails related to the league’s investigation of the Washington Football Team in a nine-page letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

House Oversight Committee chair Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and Economic and Consumer Policy subcommittee chair Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill) stated that “the NFL has one of the most prominent platforms in America, and its decisions can have national implications.”

The allegations against the team include surreptitious recording of female employees undressing, a lewd outtakes video from a WFT cheerleader photoshoot made for top executives including team owner Dan Snyder, and pervasive verbal abuse and sexual harassment throughout the organization.

• The NFL fined the team $10 million in July after concluding the investigation, led by attorney Beth Wilkinson.
• The representatives questioned the investigation’s independence and transparency, noting that the league asked for an oral, not written report from Wilkinson.

In March, Snyder agreed to buy the 40% of the team he did not own for close to $1 billion. He had previously accused co-owner Dwight Schar of conducting an extortion campaign against him, following reports that Snyder had settled a sexual misconduct allegation for $1.6 million.

Earlier this month, the team’s offices were raided by the Drug Enforcement Agency in a separate investigation of its head athletic trainer, Ryan Vermillion.