The Washington Commanders clumsily tried to take over the investigation of the new allegations made against owner Daniel Snyder by former employee Tiffani Johnston. The NFL, in an even more stunning move, rebuked the team’s effort to investigate itself.
So what happens next? The league hasn’t named an investigator. It only makes sense that the league would retain attorney Beth Wilkinson to finish the job she started in 2020.
She knows the claims. She knows the people. She knows the nuances.
The fact that Snyder hired someone other than Wilkinson suggests that he doesn’t want her back on the scene, perhaps because of the written recommendation she was prepared to make -- but that the league didn’t want. She already has explored allegations about the team, spoken to Snyder, assessed his credibility. The fact that he wants someone other than Wilkinson suggests that he knows what she thinks of him, based on her prior work.
Regardless, she’s the best person to do the job. If the league hires anyone else without a darn good explanation for it, the entire process will stink.
Then there’s the fact that the league needs to proceed in a way that persuades Johnston to cooperate. She previously refused to speak to Wilkinson. The statement issued by Johnston’s lawyers on Wednesday suggests that maybe she will, if Wilkinson gets a chance to finish what she started.
It’s the only approach that makes sense. It’s the only approach that should be accepted by the public. It’s the only approach that should get Johnston to proceed.
Let’s see whether the league will realize it’s the only way to go.
