Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder will not appear next week before the congressional committee investigating the team’s workplace culture and the NFL’s handling of misconduct allegations.
Snyder was supposed to testify before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on June 22.
Axios was the first to report that a letter was sent to New York Democrat Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who chairs the committee. The letter says Snyder remains willing to cooperate.
“Despite months of Mr. Snyder’s cooperation, the Oversight Committee refused to afford the same respect and courtesy by declining multiple reasonable requests surrounding a potential appearance by Mr. Snyder. Mr. Snyder remains willing to continue cooperating with the Committee but is unable to attend the June 22 hearing given the Committee’s disregard for due process,” a source close to Snyder told WTOP.
A lawyer for Snyder told The Associated Press that the move was due to a lack of assurance about the scope of questioning — given the existence of multiple ongoing investigations — and a scheduling conflict preventing Snyder from appearing in person.
Maloney has said the committee’s goal has been to uncover the truth about the culture of harassment and abuse at the Washington Commanders, to hold accountable those responsible, and to better protect workers across the country.
The NFL team is facing allegations from some former employees, including cheerleaders, that there was widespread sexual harassment at the franchise.
A spokeswoman for the committee said it intends to move forward with the hearing as scheduled and plans to respond to the letter from Snyder’s camp.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has accepted the invitation to testify and informed the committee on Wednesday that he will appear virtually, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
Congress launched an investigation into the team’s workplace culture after an independent review overseen by the league prompted a $10 million fine, but did not include a written report to be released to the public.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.