Goodell, NFL Under Fire By Congress For WFT Probe
The NFL and Roger Goodell are currently under fire from Congress over the league's investigation into the “toxic workplace environment” of the Washington Football Team.
Congress requested documents from the league and questioned Goodell whether the NFL was impartial in its investigation into the matter. Congress also wants to know why the NFL “agreed to oversee the investigation”, and whether it made changes to the initial findings by Beth Wilkinson who was hired by the team to investigate the team's culture.
Two members of Congress, Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney and Raja Krishnamoorthi penned a letter to Goodell asking for "all documents and communications obtained in connection with the investigation."
The letter outlines specific allegations made against the WFT and addresses how the league has responded. The letter also references emails between former team general manager Bruce Allen and NFL general counsel Jeff Pash. Last week, emails came out between Allen and former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden with racist and misogynist remarks that led to the resignation of Gruden.
Maloney and Krishnamoorthi alleged communication between Allen and Pash may have “influenced” how the league handled the ongoing investigation:
"We have serious concerns about what appears to be widespread abusive workplace conduct at the WFT and about the NFL's handling of this matter. Communications between league management and WFT leadership also raise questions about the league's asserted impartiality in these investigations. In addition, we are deeply troubled by the reported use of non-disclosure agreements to potentially conceal inappropriate behavior, including conduct that is prohibited by federal laws such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act."
Stay tuned for more on this story as the news comes in.
