DC attorney general sues NFL, Washington Commenders and Dan Snyder

Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine (D) announced on Thursday that his office has filed a civil suit against the Washington Commanders and team owner Daniel Snyder, the NFL and league Commissioner Roger Goodell amid multiple investigations against Snyder and his NFL franchise.

At a news conference on Thursday, Racine, who is due to step down from his role in January, alleged that the four defendants in the lawsuit colluded to deceive city residents about the league’s initial investigation into the team, which was conducted by team-appointed attorney Beth Wilkinson. 

Racine also said at the news conference that the team and the league violated the city’s consumer rights, alleging that Snyder lied about his knowledge of the investigation into his team. 

The latest lawsuit stems from Wilkinson’s initial investigation into the Commanders, which resulted in the league penalizing the team last July for a record $10 million and requiring team executives to be trained in topics such as bullying and unconscious bias. 

“The Commanders and Dan Snyder lied to D.C. residents about what they knew about a toxic culture of sexual harassment, and then they entered into a secret agreement with the NFL and Commissioner Goodell that kept the truth from D.C. residents — all in an effort to protect their profits,” Racine said.

“In D.C., you can’t lie to consumers to enrich yourself and get away with it. That’s what this lawsuit is about: standing up for D.C. residents who were deceived and misled. No one — not even Mr. Snyder — is above the law.” 

The D.C. Attorney’s Office is seeking financial penalties under the city’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act for each incident the defendants lied to city residents dating back to July 2020, and all defendants could face financial penalties of up to $1 million. Racine’s office also asked the NFL to release Wilkinson’s full investigation into the team as well. 

The lawsuit comes a week after Snyder and his wife, co-CEO Tanya Snyder, announced that they had hired the Bank of America to explore “potential transactions” of the team, signaling a potential sale of the franchise the Snyders have owned since 1999. 

The Snyders recently gained full control of the Commanders franchise last year after buying out his minority partners’ stake in the franchise. 

“Dan and Tanya Snyder and the Washington Commanders announced today that they have hired BofA Securities to consider potential transactions,” the couple said in its statement through the team, adding that they’ll “remain committed to the team, all of its employees and its countless fans to putting its best product on the field and continuing the work to set the gold standard for workplaces in the NFL.”

The Washington, D.C.-based NFL franchise has suffered a series of controversies under Snyder’s watch, including claims of sexual harassment by former employees. The House Oversight and Reform Committee has been conducting its own investigation of the team.

The House panel launched its probe after emails between former team president Bruce Allen and former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden leaked to the public. The emails included racist, misogynistic and homophobic comments.

The league launched its second investigation into Snyder and his organization earlier this year after former team cheerleader and marketing manager Tiffani Johnston accused Snyder of sexually harassing her at a work-related dinner in 2004.

Snyder testified before the House panel in a closed-door deposition in July in accordance with their investigation into the team. 

“Today’s civil complaint filed by the DC Attorney General against the Washington Commanders, Dan Snyder, the NFL, and Commissioner Roger Goodell is further evidence of what we’ve long known: that both the Commanders and the NFL have engaged in deception and lies designed to conceal the team’s decades of sexual harassment and abuse, which has impacted not only the victims of that abuse, but also consumers in the District of Columbia,” Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, the attorneys representing the more than 40 former Commanders employees involved in the multiple investigations into the team, said in a statement to The Hill.

They are also urging the league to publicly release the findings from Wilkinson’s investigation.

“The filing of this complaint also marks an important step in validating the experiences of the brave women and men who came forward and in achieving, for the first time, a level of transparency into the scope of the misconduct.” 

The legal counsel for the Washington Commanders also made a statement to The Hill regarding the lawsuit.

“Over two years ago, Dan and Tanya Snyder acknowledged that an unacceptable workplace culture had existed within their organization for several years and they have apologized many times for allowing that to happen,” the statement read. “We agree with AG Racine on one thing: the public needs to know the truth. Although the lawsuit repeats a lot of innuendo, half-truths and lies, we welcome this opportunity to defend the organization — for the first time — in a court of law and to establish, once and for all, what is fact and what is fiction.”

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy had a statement for The Hill about the investigation, as well.

“The independent investigation into workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders was thoroughly and comprehensively conducted by Beth Wilkinson and her law firm.  Following the completion of the investigation, the NFL made public a summary of Ms. Wilkinson’s findings and imposed a record-setting fine against the club and its ownership,” McCarthy said.

“We reject the legally unsound and factually baseless allegations made today by the D.C. Attorney General against the NFL and Commissioner Goodell and will vigorously defend against those claims,” he concluded.