The NFL and Washington Commanders stonewalled a congressional investigation into the workplace culture of the team ... so says the Chairwoman of the powerful Committee on Oversight and Reform, who "invited" Roger Goodell and Daniel Snyder to testify in D.C.
The United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform launched an investigation in October aiming to "uncover the truth about the culture of harassment and abuse" ... after numerous ex-employees spoke out.
But, House Chair, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) says the league and organization have slowed the investigation by not fully cooperating ... firing off a letter to both entities, ripping them.
"The Committee has worked tirelessly to obtain critical information, including the findings of the internal investigation conducted by attorney Beth Wilkinson, only to be met with obstruction from the Commanders and the NFL at every turn."
Rep. Maloney continued ... "We must have transparency and accountability, which is why we are calling on Mr. Goodell and Mr. Snyder to answer the questions they have dodged for the last seven months. The hearing will explore how Congress can act to prevent employers from silencing victims of workplace misconduct and ensure that what happened at the Commanders organization does not happen again."
Chairwoman Maloney wasn't alone ... Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, went in on Goodell and Snyder.
"For seven months, the Committee has been stonewalled by NDAs and other tools to evade accountability," Chairman Krishnamoorthi wrote.
"Mr. Snyder and Mr. Goodell need to appear before the Committee to address these issues and answer our questions about the pervasive workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders, and how the NFL addressed these issues."
FYI, back in Summer 2020, at least 15 former employees spoke out about the alleged sexual harassment that ran rampant through the org.
The NFL investigated the situation themselves, and ultimately fined the team $10 million.
As for the NFL, they clearly see the situation very differently, responding to the invitation, and claiming they obstructed the investigation.
"We received the Committee's invitation this morning and will respond directly in a timely manner," a league spokesperson said.
"The NFL has cooperated extensively throughout the Committee's lengthy investigation of the Washington Commanders, including by producing more than 460,000 pages of documents and responding to numerous questions in writing and in conversations with the Committee's staff."