A hearing isn’t scheduled yet, but it could be coming. For now, Congress is taking another approach to getting to the truth that the NFL is trying to hide.
Earlier today, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform announced that it will hold a “hybrid roundtable” with several former employees of the Washington Football Team. The meeting, to be conducted on Thursday, February 3, will discuss “issues of workplace misconduct and the National Football League’s (NFL) failure to take steps to prevent sexual harassment and verbal abuse” within the organization.
“For more than twenty years, employees of the Washington Football Team were subjected to sexual harassment, verbal abuse, and other misconduct,” Carolyn B. Maloney, chairperson of the committee, said in a release. “It is becoming increasingly clear that not only did the team fail to protect employees, but the NFL went to great lengths to prevent the truth about this toxic work environment from coming to light. The NFL’s decision to cover up these abuses raises serious questions about its commitment to setting workplace standards that keep employees safe. I commend these victims for their bravery in coming forward to share their stories. No organization is above the law, I am committed to getting to the bottom of these abuses and ensuring that every American -- no matter where they work -- is safe from workplace harassment and discrimination.”
The NFL has tried to justify concealing all evidence developed by a 10-month investigation of the WFT workplace culture by arguing that complete secrecy protects the rights of any of them who requested anonymity. It’s a flimsy, clumsy, disingenuous position. It would be very easy to disclose details of the misconduct while also changing names to protect those who want to be protected.
The blanket attempt to hide all facts in the broad and general name of protecting an unspecified number of current or former WFT employees who requested privacy suggests that the league is grasping for any basis, credible or not, to justify brushing inconvenient evidence under the rug.
At first, we thought the league was trying to help team owner Daniel Snyder. Then, we thought the league is trying to protect other owners from a similar fate. More recently, it dawned on us that the league may be trying to conceal its failure to take action when it knew or should have known about the problems within the organization.
Regardless, the NFL is trying very hard to conceal the truth. This suggests that, whatever it is, it’s big. And that its disclosure would have potentially significant and sweeping consequences for Snyder, and for the league office.
