At a House Oversight Committee roundtable, former cheerleader and Marketing and Events Coordinator Tiffani Johnston accused Snyder of putting his hand on her thigh during a dinner and then grabbing her arm to pull her into his limousine as she fended off advances, a new allegation.
A former video production manager alleges that he was asked to produce a lewd video featuring nude outtake clips of cheerleaders from a photoshoot without their knowledge at the request of Snyder.
Several female former employees allege that for years, Snyder created a toxic environment of abuse and sexual harassment, where female employees were directed to wear tight clothing and faced lewd language and unwanted advances.
“Dan Snyder rules by fear,” the team’s former Director of Marketing Melanie Coburn told the panel.
Snyder responded to the allegations in a statement Thursday.
“While past conduct at the Team was unacceptable, the allegations leveled against me personally in today’s roundtable — many of which are well over 13 years old — are outright lies. I unequivocally deny having participated in any such conduct, at any time and with respect to any person.
“Tanya and I will not be distracted by those with a contrary agenda from continuing with the positive personnel and cultural changes that have been made at the Team over the past 18 months, and those that we continue to make both on and off the field,” Snyder said, referencing his wife, who was named co-CEO of the team last year.
Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, attorneys representing the six witnesses who testified as well as more than 40 former employees, said in a statement Thursday that the testimonies were “an important first step in holding the Washington Football Team, and workplaces across the nation, accountable for the mistreatment of female employees.”
“Today’s Roundtable sent the message that Congress will not tolerate … attempts to evade accountability from one of the most prominent workplaces in the nation,” the statement added.
But the league never released the full findings of the investigation.
The league’s lack of transparency has been called a “coverup” by several of the accusers, who demand the full report be released to the public.
Banks and Katz again called on the league to release the report in their Thursday statement, saying employees had participated in the inquiry “based on the belief that the findings would be made public” and “lead to changes”.
“By keeping the investigation’s findings hidden, the NFL and WFT (Washington Football Team) are trying to silence these witnesses and avoid responsibility,” the statement added. “It is time for Congress to demand transparency and accountability.”
