Roger Goodell says the NFL isn’t going to release the findings of its lengthy investigation into the workplace culture of the Washington Football Team, because the league is focused on protecting the survivors’ privacy. Suddenly, the NFL doesn’t want to publicize its conclusions, out of respect for those involved.
Someone should alert Tom Brady, whose private emails were leaked during the ridiculous Deflategate probe. If anyone can find John Jastremski, they should tell him, too. The Patriots assistant’s texts to his girlfriend were publicized as well.
The world may have changed, but the NFL commissioner is still the same shameless hypocrite.
On Tuesday, Goodell doubled down on the league’s decision to not make public the results of its 10-month inquiry into WTF (the league hired attorney Beth Wilkinson to lead the investigation). “We're very conscious of making sure we're protecting those who came forward,” he said at the end of the first in-person owners’ meetings in two years. “That was a very high priority.”
While that sounds like a noble excuse, at least two of the survivors say they don’t want the NFL’s “protection.” They crashed the meetings Tuesday to hand out copies of a letter they sent to the league asking for the investigation’s conclusions to be released.
An attorney for 40 former employees who participated in the inquiry, Lisa Banks, said Goodell’s statement is “false.”
Last summer, 15 female employees and two journalists covering the team came forward and outlined a pervasive culture of sexual harassment within the Washington organization. Goodell fined Washington $10 million and barred owner Daniel Snyder, who allegedly received videos of “lewd outtakes” of the team’s cheerleaders, from participating in the day-to-day operations of the club. His wife, Tanya, has stepped into his role.
Goodell said he thinks Snyder has been held accountable, and most importantly, “steps were put in place to make sure it doesn't happen again.” The NFL, however, won’t disclose what those steps are.
The league’s handling of this matter stands in stark contrast to how it has conduced itself in previous situations. Unlike its investigations into other issues, such as a video showing Ray Rice assaulting his fiancée, the NFL didn’t even ask for a written report. Instead, Wilkinson stated her findings orally. That’s not suspicious at all.
Ted Wells, meanwhile, filed a 243-page report about Deflategate, which was dissected for months.
That silly scandal was always about commissioner power. After losing a couple of high-profile appeals — Rice and Adrian Peterson — Goodell needed to reassert his authority. The league was willing to sacrifice its best player for bargaining power.
This case is different, because Goodell answers to Snyder, and not the other way around. So no: it isn’t surprising that Goodell is shielding Snyder. The league is sitting on 650,000 emails, and somehow, Jon Gruden’s racist and homophobic messages were the only ones released. What is the NFL hiding?
Goodell’s stated quest to protect the “integrity of the game” was laughable during Deflategate, and looks increasingly foolish as the years go on.