The NFL has enlisted Mary Jo White to conduct an investigation into the latest sexual misconduct allegations against Dan Snyder, that arose from the recent House Oversight Committee roundtable. Her findings will be made public at the conclusion of the investigation. Commissioner Roger Goodell will then determine if the league will take any further action.
White is currently with the Debevoise & Plimpton law firm. She was also the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). She also previously conducted the NFL’s investigation against former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.
Richardson would ultimately sell the team before White’s investigation was complete.
Goodell originally seemed to be backing Snyder. But most recently, the situation with Washington and the league has really come to a head. The league sent a letter to congress informing them that the team had blocked access to over 100,000 documents. The team denied the accusation.
New Allegation in Early February
The new allegation that White is investigating, came about when former Washington employee Tiffani Johnston spoke at the roundtable session on February 3rd. She spoke about being placed next to Snyder at a work dinner in 2005 or 2006, “to allow Dan Snyder to place his hand on her thigh under the table.”
She also told the committee that Snyder later tried to force her into his limousine. Another employee Jason Friedman, also corroborated the story about the limousine.
Johnston had originally declined to talk to Beth Wilkinson in the original investigation against Snyder, because she said she was afraid of retaliation by Snyder.
The NFL has already fined the team $10 million for their workplace culture, but no report was released publicly.
The league says that White’s investigation will be made public because the allegations by Johnston were made in an open forum. As such, there is no reasonable expectation of anonymity.