The attorneys representing more than 40 former employees of Washington’s NFL team asked Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league’s team owners to prohibit Daniel Snyder from suing his accusers who participated in investigations as a provision of the sale of the franchise.
“As you can imagine, we were happy to learn last week that there appears to be a deal in principle for the sale of the Washington Commanders, which will ensure that Daniel Snyder will no longer be able to exert his malign influence over team employees, the Washington area community, or the National Football League,” Banks and Katz wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post.
“We understand that the League and other team owners must review and approve the terms of any sale between Mr. Snyder and the new ownership group. In doing so, we request that you and the NFL owners demand that the sale agreement includes a contractual provision that forbids Mr. Snyder from initiating litigation against any of the individuals who participated in the various investigations into the team, including but not limited to our [40-plus] clients.”
Clients of Banks and Katz were interviewed as part of several investigations of Snyder and the team, including those by the NFL and by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability (then called the House Committee on Oversight and Reform).
“Given Mr. Snyder’s well-earned reputation for being vindictive and litigious, and the experience of several of our clients who were harassed by private investigators, this is a very real concern for those who came forward,” Banks and Katz wrote in the letter. “Indeed, our clients expressly raised these concerns with Beth Wilkinson, Mary Jo White, and members of the House Oversight Committee. Although we are confident that any such litigation by Mr. Snyder would be meritless — as the women and men involved in the investigations did nothing more than accurately and honestly share their experiences working for the team — the emotional, financial and professional toll on these individuals to defend against even a baseless lawsuit would be incalculable.”
The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We are solely focused on continuing to improve our business, enabling us to invest in football and return a championship to the DMV,” a Commanders spokesperson said in a statement in response to a request for comment about the letter.
White is conducting the NFL’s second investigation of Snyder and the team. Snyder has declined to be interviewed by White, three people with direct knowledge of the league’s inner workings said last month. White was expected to make at least one more attempt before completing her investigation, according to one of those people. Goodell has said the league will release White’s findings publicly, even if Snyder sells the team.
Following the league’s previous investigation, which Wilkinson conducted, the NFL announced in July 2021 that it had fined the team $10 million and that Tanya Snyder, the franchise’s co-CEO and Daniel’s wife, would take control of the team’s day-to-day operations for an unspecified period. She has represented the team at league meetings since then.
The Democratic-led investigation by the House Oversight Committee concluded last year that Snyder and members of his legal team conducted a “shadow investigation” and compiled a “dossier” targeting former team employees, their attorneys and journalists in an attempt to discredit his accusers and shift blame following allegations of widespread misconduct in the team’s workplace. The Commanders later called the committee’s investigation “a politically inspired hatchet job.”
The offices of the attorneys general of D.C. and Maryland have announced settlements with the Commanders stemming from allegations that the team improperly withheld deposits from season ticket holders. Those allegations arose from the committee’s investigation. The Commanders did not admit to the allegations as part of the settlements.
Federal authorities in the Eastern District of Virginia are also investigating the team and Snyder. The federal investigation includes multiple agencies and is focused on allegations of financial improprieties involving the team, according to multiple people familiar with the situation.
“We hope and expect that the NFL and its team owners will understand the risks people took to come forward and cooperate with the League, as well as with state and federal officials, in the many investigations conducted over the past few years,” Banks and Katz wrote in the letter. “You now have the ability and the obligation to ensure that they are not further victimized by Mr. Snyder or anyone associated with him after the sale of the team.”
An investment group led by Josh Harris, owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, has reached a tentative agreement with Snyder to purchase the Commanders for $6.05 billion, three people with direct knowledge of the sale process said last week. The deal, which is unsigned and nonexclusive, was submitted to the NFL for an informal review. It would have to be finalized and then ratified by at least 24 of the 32 team owners.