Raiders owner Mark Davis wants the NFL to release a written report on its investigation into the Washington Football Team.
While attending the league's owners meetings, Davis was asked on Wednesday if he wants to see a written report.
"Probably, yeah. I think that there should be, yeah," Davis replied. "Especially with some of the things that were, I guess, charged. Yeah, I believe so. I think that people deserve [it], especially people that were, quote, 'victims.'"
In July, the NFL wrapped up its nearly year-long investigation into Washington's workplace culture, which was brought on by rampant sexual harassment claims alleged by former employees. Beth Wilkinson, who led the investigation and spoke to countless former employees, was only asked to produce a verbal report.
Davis is not an impartial bystander. As part of Wilkinson's investigation, a trove of some 650,000-plus emails were produced — some of which were leaked to various newspaper outlets — leading to Jon Gruden's resignation as head coach of the Raiders. That was after several leaked emails between Gruden and former Washington team president Bruce Allen depicted Gruden (who was out of the league at the time) using racists, misogynistic and homophobic language.
Gruden has insisted there is more to the story and that 'the truth will come out.' The NFLPA has requested that the NFL release the remaining emails to the public.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell explained on Tuesday why the league would not be producing any further information from its investigation to the public, citing anonymity requested by those who participated in the investigation.
"We are very conscious of making sure that we're protecting those that came forward,” Goodell told reporters. "They were incredibly brave, incredibly open and we respect the pain that they probably went through all over again to come forward. So, that was a very high priority for us."
Lisa Banks, an attorney representing 40 former Washington employees who she says participated in the investigation, took to Twitter to call Goodell's statement false.
I represent 40 former employees of the WFT who participated in the investigation. Goodell’s statement is false. https://t.co/hKSzFkzQxK
— Lisa Banks (@LisaBanksKMB) October 27, 2021
Banks went on to call Goodell's comments "disingenuous," adding that "there is no reason he can’t release an investigatory report and, at the same time, protect anonymity for those who want it. It happens all the time." On Wednesday, she sent a letter to Goodell once again asking for transparency and for the public release of the report's findings.
See our letter today to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Contrary to his disingenuous comments yesterday, there is no reason he can’t release an investigatory report and, at the same time, protect anonymity for those who want it. It happens all the time. pic.twitter.com/DYsFdV976T
— Lisa Banks (@LisaBanksKMB) October 27, 2021
Questions have arisen about the legitimacy of Wilkinson's investigation since its conclusion, especially after Jay Gruden, who coached the team for six seasons, admitted he was never asked to speak to investigators.
As a result of Wilkinson's investigation, the Washington Football Team was fined $10 million and Dan Snyder stepped away from day-to-day operations of the organization, installing his wife, Tanya, as co-CEO to handle those duties in his stead.
Goodell told reporters Tuesday that he does believe Dan Snyder has been adequately held accountable for allowing such a toxic workplace environment to fester for so long.
"I do think he's been held accountable for it and the organization has been held accountable," Goodell said. "And I think we've given an unprecedented fine. Dan Snyder has not been involved with the organization for now almost four months.
"We, obviously, have focused more on making sure the policies that they had, many of which they put into place prior to this investigation, but also coming out of it, were put into place and that they will be maintained, and that we can ensure that will happen at this organization.”
On Tuesday, two former Washington employees, Melanie Coburn and Ana Nunez, arrived at the New York-based owners meetings to hand-deliver a letter addressed to the league's social justice committee requesting that the league make its findings from the investigation public.
"The NFL should not be allowed to encourage employees to come forward at great personal risk to speak to investigators, only to sweep the results of that investigation under the rug," their letter reads, in part.
Coburn told SI's Albert Breer that Snyder is "100 percent" responsible for the workplace culture within the organization, going as far as to say that he "encouraged it." She went on to tell Breer that Snyder has "mastered the art of the NDA," a reference to the non-disclosure agreements employees have been required to sign as a term of their employment.
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