The penalty of a $10 million fine follows an investigation into sexual harassment and abuse in the team’s front office.
The N.F.L. on Thursday announced that the Washington Football Team would pay a $10 million fine to the league after a yearlong investigation into reports of the club’s rampant culture of sexual harassment perpetuated by managers and executives under the ownership of Daniel Snyder. The team also must reimburse the league for the cost of the investigation. Snyder also will temporarily remove himself from day-to-day business operations of the club, ceding that control to his wife and new co-chief executive, Tanya Snyder. Daniel Snyder, though, will attend games, and continue to work on long-term projects, including searching for a new team name and new stadium. Vestry Laight, a firm that works with companies to address misconduct that was already retained by the team, will also provide the league with periodic updates on the team’s human resources practices for the next two years. Roger Goodell, the league’s commissioner, “concluded that for many years the workplace environment at the Washington Football Team, both generally and particularly for women, was highly unprofessional,” the league said in a statement. “Bullying and intimidation frequently took place and many described the culture as one of fear, and numerous female employees reported having experienced sexual harassment and a general lack of respect in the workplace.
