NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Washington report: No interference in investigation

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters Wednesday that there was no interference in the work of lawyer Beth Wilkinson’s investigation into the workplace culture of the Washington Football Team, as alleged in a Washington Post report from Tuesday.

“We went through a very lengthy period of investigation and discussions,” Goodell said at the conclusion of the Winter League Meeting. “The one thing I can say with a 100% assurance is that it didn’t interfere with the work that our investigator did. We were able to access all the people that she wanted to access, have multiple conversations with those people. There’s always a little bit of a tug and a pull with particularly lawyers and law firms. That’s something that I think we were able to overcome and make sure that we came to the right conclusion.”

Goodell’s comments came one day after the Post’s report regarding Washington owner Daniel Snyder that said “lawyers and private investigators working on Snyder’s behalf took steps that potential witnesses … viewed as attempts to interfere with the NFL’s investigation.”

Later Tuesday, two members of Congress who already asked the NFL for transparency about a probe into sexual harassment and other improper conduct at the Washington organization asked the league to turn over any evidence related to Snyder’s reported interference with the investigation.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat who is chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat who is chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, made the latest request.

Maloney and Krishnamoorthi previously sent a letter to Goodell on Oct. 21 seeking all documents and communication related to the probe.

On Nov. 5, the pair of representatives urged the NFL and the Washington Football Team to release individuals from non-disclosure agreements that would prevent them from discussing sexual harassment and workplace issues at the club.

The team hired Wilkinson in 2020 to look into allegations of sexual harassment and other workplace misconduct at the organization.

The league later took over that investigation and fined Washington $10 million in July 2021, saying the culture at the club was “toxic” and ownership and senior officials paid little attention to sexual harassment and other workplace issues.

The NFL said there was no written report of Wilkinson’s inquiry.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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