During the congressional inquiry, former employees made new claims directly against Snyder. Speaking at a committee round table, Tiffani Johnston, a former marketing and events coordinator for the team, said that at a work dinner in either 2005 or 2006, she sat next to Snyder, who put his hand on her thigh under the table. Later that night, she said, she resisted Snyder’s attempt to push her toward his limousine.
Melanie Coburn, a former cheerleader and director of marketing, told the committee in February that Snyder hosted a work event at his Aspen, Colo., home, for which team executives hired prostitutes.
The N.F.L.’s Second Investigation
The allegations from the February hearing prompted the N.F.L. to start its second investigation into Snyder and the team. It is being led by Mary Jo White, a former Securities and Exchange Commission chair and federal prosecutor. The league said there was no timetable for White to conclude her report.
Several former employees testified to Congress that Snyder, when told that female staff members complained of being harassed by male co-workers, did nothing to address the problems, and even defended one of the men.
Snyder, witnesses said, “endorsed a toxic culture at the Commanders in which sexual misconduct, exploitation of women, bullying of men, and other inappropriate behavior was commonplace, and that he was a hands-on owner who had a role in nearly every organizational decision,” the committee wrote in Thursday’s report. “As one witness confirmed, Mr. Snyder ‘created a culture where this behavior was accepted and encouraged.’”
The committee also said that the N.F.L. warned Snyder to cooperate with the Wilkinson investigation as early as August 2020, but that the league did not step in to prevent Snyder from obstructing former employees from being interviewed. The league, it said, was made aware that Snyder was trying to intimidate former employees, and failed to stop him from doing so.
