Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder fined $60 million in investigation of sexual harassment and financial misconduct

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder fined $60 million for misconduct.

Outgoing Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder has been hit with a massive $60 million fine by the NFL following an independent investigation that concluded Snyder had sexually harassed a team employee and that his executives were involved in financial misconduct. The league made the announcement on Thursday.

This news comes on the same day that Snyder's fellow NFL owners unanimously approved the sale of the franchise for $6 billion to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris.

The independent investigation was led by Mary Jo White, former chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

According to the NFL's news release, Snyder will pay $60 million to the league to resolve the findings from Mary Jo White's investigation and to settle all outstanding matters.

In her 23-page report, White determined that Snyder had sexually harassed former cheerleader and marketing employee Tiffani Johnston. Johnston left the team in 2008 and the incident in question took place during or after a dinner at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., in either 2005 or 2006.

"We spoke to Ms. Johnston several times and found her to be highly credible," the report stated. "Her account of the incident was also corroborated by other witnesses and evidence."

The report also supported claims from former employee Jason Friedman, who worked with the team from 1996 to 2020, that the Commanders concealed revenue from the NFL.

White and her team discovered that the Commanders had "improperly shielded" around $11 million that was supposed to be shared with the NFL as part of revenue-sharing requirements. The report also found that the team hid additional revenue from ticket sales, parking fees, and licensing fees, although the exact amount was not determined.

However, White's investigation was inconclusive regarding Snyder's personal involvement in hiding the revenue.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated, "The conduct substantiated in Ms. White's findings has no place in the NFL. We strive for workplaces that are safe, respectful, and professional. What Ms. Johnston experienced is inappropriate and contrary to the NFL's values."

Snyder's ownership of the Commanders, which began in 1999, has been marred by various issues. Last year, the House Oversight and Reform Committee determined that Snyder had interfered in a separate NFL investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by team executives, conducted by attorney Beth Wilkinson.

In response to Wilkinson's report, the NFL fined the team $10 million in 2021, finding that the franchise had fostered a toxic workplace culture.

Attorneys Lisa J. Banks and Debra S. Katz, who represent over 40 former Commanders employees, including Johnston and Friedman, released a statement on Thursday, calling White's report a "total vindication" for their clients.

"While today is a day to celebrate their victory, we must also question why the NFL and Roger Goodell allowed Mr. Snyder to retain ownership despite being aware of numerous allegations against him through our clients' testimony, the Beth Wilkinson investigation, and a Congressional investigation. The NFL buried its own findings and helped him evade accountability," the attorneys said.

The NFL stated that White's investigation, which lasted 17 months, involved interviews with dozens of witnesses and the review of over 10,000 documents.

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