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The attorney general for the District of Columbia said Thursday his office is filing a civil consumer protection lawsuit against the Washington Commanders, owner Dan Snyder, the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell, accusing them of colluding to deceive residents by lying about an investigation into the team’s workplace misconduct.
Attorney General Karl Racine announced the civil complaint at a news conference, saying Snyder, Goodell, the team and league “misled the public.”
He is arguing they should be held accountable under D.C.’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act for lying about the process and results of an investigation that found Washington had a toxic workplace culture.
“For years, the team and its owner have caused very real and very serious harm and then lied about it to dodge accountability,” Racine said, also pointing blame at Goodell and the league.
“They did all of this to hide the truth, protect their images and let the profits continue to roll.”
Racine said the team and league violated D.C. consumers’ rights based on what they knew about the organization’s workplace misconduct, alleging Snyder lied about his knowledge of the situation. While not specifying the damages he’s seeking, Racine said the law provides for fines of up to $5,000 per lie.
Asked about a parallel review into the team’s finances and withholding money from season-ticket holders, Racine said, “There’ll be more news on that next week.” Racine’s office launched an investigation into the team around the time the U.S. House Committee for Oversight and Reform referred its case, which initially centered on workplace culture issues, to the Federal Trade Commission for potential financial improprieties.
