D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine announced Thursday that his office is filing a consumer protection lawsuit against the Commanders, team owner Daniel Snyder, the NFL and league commissioner Roger Goodell. The lawsuit accuses them of colluding to deceive and mislead customers about the investigation into the team’s workplace misconduct in order to avoid losing revenue from the fan base.
“Faced with public outrage over detailed and widespread allegations of sexual misconduct and a persistently hostile work environment at the Team, Defendants made a series of public statements to convince District consumers that this dysfunctional and misogynistic conduct was limited and that they were fully cooperating with an independent investigation,” the lawsuit says, via The Washington Post. “These statements were false and calculated to mislead consumers so they would continue to support the Team financially without thinking that they were supporting such misconduct.”
Two attorneys for the Commanders, John Brownlee and Stuart Nash, issued this statement following the lawsuit announcement (via The Washington Post):
“Over two years ago, Dan and Tanya Snyder acknowledged that an unacceptable workplace culture had existed within their organization for several years and they have apologized many times for allowing that to happen. We agree with AG Racine on one thing: the public needs to know the truth.
“Although the lawsuit repeats a lot of innuendo, half-truths and lies, we welcome this opportunity to defend the organization — for the first time — in a court of law and to establish, once and for all, what is fact and what is fiction.”
NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy also released a statement regarding the matter (via ESPN):
“The independent investigation into workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders was thoroughly and comprehensibly conducted by Beth Wilkinson and her law firm. Following the completion of the investigation, the NFL made public a summary of Ms. Wilkinson’s findings and imposed a record-setting fine against the club and its ownership.
“We reject the legally unsound and factually baseless allegations made today by the D.C. Attorney General against the NFL and Commissioner Goodell and will vigorously defend against those claims.”
The lawsuit, which is being filed in the civil division of the D.C. Superior Court, alleges that the Commanders and the NFL violated the District…
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