“He’s Part of the Problem” – Congresswoman zeroes in on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the handling of Washington Commanders’ latest fiasco
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Roger Goodell
As of late, NFL has had a plethora of controversies surrounding the team’s owners, workplace environment, sexual misconduct to name a few. Recently it was uncovered that the Dallas Cowboys settled with their former cheerleaders for $2.4 million when they filed a lawsuit against the team’s senior executive for trying to record them while undressing on his phone.
Additionally, Washington Commanders have been fined by the NFL for “toxic workplace environment”. Taking into account the increase in lawsuits filed against the teams and their owners, a high-ranking member of Congress is holding NFL commissioner Roger Goodell accountable over his handling of the Washington Commanders hostile workplace investigation.
Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder forced himself on former cheerleader
Former cheerleader and marketing manager Tiffani Johnston for the Washington Commanders alleged that owner Dan Snyder invited her to a networking event “not for me to discuss business, but to allow him, Dan Snyder, to place his hand on my thigh under the table.” Later that evening, Synder “aggressively pushed” her toward his limousine. There were five other cheerleaders who made allegations against the Commanders for their hostile work environment.
Representative Jackie Speier was among members of the House Oversight Committee who heard testimony from six former Commanders employees. The committee has pushed for months for the NFL and Commanders to release information related to the toxic workplace iniquity led by former assistant U.S. attorney Beth Wilkinson.
Congresswoman thinks Roger Goodell should’ve evicted Synder from the league for his actions
Speier thinks that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also has a hand in these matters. “I think Roger Goodell is a part of the problem,” Speier told Front Office Sports. An NFL commissioner holds the power to recommend an owner’s removal if he’s “guilty of conduct detrimental to the welfare of the league,” according to the NFL’s constitution and bylaws.
Jackie Speier expects Goodell to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee. “My question to him is why haven’t you prohibited Snyder from having the franchise?” Speier said. “He’s not conducted himself in a manner that should allow him to continue to own the Commanders. In any other corporation, a board of directors would have booted him out a decade ago.”
This is a serious issue in the NFL. Team owners behave inappropriately with the cheerleaders and they just pay settlements to the victims and make them sign NDAs which hinders them from sharing their horrific experiences. These acts have been going on since the inauguration of the NFL.
Changes are long overdue in the league now. The cheerleaders, African-American coaches are afraid to step into the NFL seeing the rise in discrimination and toxic environment that takes place. Roger Goodell has the power to remove such owners from the league but he is yet to take this step. So, people are left to wonder if Goodell is part of the problem.
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Yash Karandekar
(1023 Articles Published)