NFL commissioner Roger Goodell cited the request for anonymity made by some of those who were interviewed by investigators but whistleblowers say they asked for the report to be made public
Last Updated: 27/10/21 8:01am
The NFL will not release the details of the investigation into workplace misconduct involving the Washington Football Team.
Speaking after a meeting of the league’s owners in New York, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell cited the request for anonymity made by some of those who were interviewed by investigators.
“We’re very conscious of making sure we’re protecting those who came forward,” he said. “They were incredibly brave, incredibly open, and we respect the pain that they probably went through all over again to come forward. That was a very high priority.”
One of the whistleblowers, ex-Washington Football Team employee Rachel Engleson, disputed Goodell’s assertion regarding the report and asked for it to be made public.
This is false @nflcommish. We were told our identities would be kept confidential in a written report. Meaning, if I spoke about something that happened to me, there would be no way Dan or others could trace the info back to me. Not that there would be no written report. C’mon. https://t.co/gVbqnw8PKl
“This is false @nflcommish,” she said in a Twitter post. “We were told our identities would be kept confidential in a written report. Meaning, if I spoke about something that happened to me, there would be no way Dan (Snyder) or others could trace the info back to me. Not that there would be no written report. C’mon.”
Attorney Lisa Banks also tweeted: “I represent 40 former employees of the WFT who participated in the investigation. Goodell’s statement is false.”
Snyder, who owns the Washington Football Team, was replaced as head of the team’s day-to-day operations as a result of the report, with his wife, Tanya, taking over.
The team also received a $10m fine based on the investigation’s findings.
“I do think he’s been held accountable,” Goodell said of Daniel Snyder on Tuesday. “More importantly, steps were put in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Two members of Congress last week asked for the report to be made public.
The five-page letter stated: “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.”
It continued: “The NFL’s lack of transparency about the problems it recently uncovered raise questions about the seriousness with which it has addressed bigotry, racism, sexism, and homophobia – setting troubling precedent for other workplaces.”