NEW YORK — Sixteen years ago, Native American activists appeared at an NFL owners’ meeting in Georgetown to protest the former name of the Washington Football Team. Tuesday, history sort of repeated itself as two former employees of the WFT appeared in the lobby of the hotel where owners were meeting to hand-deliver a letter calling for transparency in the league’s completed investigation of the culture of the team.
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Melanie Coburn and Ana Nunez delivered the letter to the reception at the Intercontinental Hotel and then talked to reporters for roughly an hour in the marble-tiled, ornate lobby off 48th Street and Lexington.
“There’s a lot of stories that haven’t been shared that you haven’t heard in the press,” said Coburn, who left the team in 2011 after 15 years as a cheerleader and marketing director. “There’s a lot of employees who’re still scared and intimidated and threatened to come forward. And I just feel it’s time that they’re starting, their stories are heard, and I’m hoping that Congress will push for the truth.”
Congress’ Oversight and Reform Committee has announced an inquiry into the WFT and asked the league for all investigative documents. The league has yet to say whether it will oblige, and those close to the league expect it to resist the Congressional effort.
The NFL’s 10-month investigation began into the WFT after a report in The Washington Post sparked a league probe that resulted in investigator Lisa Friel calling the team’s workplace culture “very toxic” in July.
The league found a pattern of sexual harassment with the team and fined the team $10 million, and Daniel Snyder stepped aside from operations of the franchise for an undetermined time. But they offered no written report of the investigation or its findings.
However, 650,000 team emails were amassed, and some have been made public in the past three weeks. They included Jon Gruden’s racist email to former Washington president Bruce Allen in 2011 about DeMaurice Smith, the NFLPA executive director. Then came Gruden-Allen emails in which the coach used a homophobic remark in regard to commissioner Roger Goodell and denounced alleged league efforts to sign “queer” players. That led to the Las Vegas head coach’s resignation.
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The letter delivered Tuesday, signed by 13 former employees, said, “The NFL should not be allowed to encourage employees to come forward at great personal and professional risk to speak to investigators, only to sweep the results of that investigation under the rug.”
Coburn also told reporters she opposed alleged efforts by the WFT to pin the toxic culture on Allen, saying, “I think he’s just another fall guy. Dan Snyder has a history of taking big crises in the organization and like passing the blame to somebody … but we know it all comes from the top.
“That’s a culture that he allowed to fester for decades. And I know, right, like, those things wouldn’t happen if you had a leader.”
She said Snyder’s law firm, Reed Smith LLP, sent investigators to homes of cheerleaders to ask them about Allen.
The WFT email scandal is not formally on the agenda of the two-day meeting, but it could come up during the owners-only session Wednesday morning.
Goodell was asked later on Tuesday about not sharing the report or documents. He said maintaining the anonymity of those who were interviewed is important.
“But one of the important things … in this case, is making sure that you have people who are willing to come forward, most of them (wanted) security and privacy and anonymity as part of that,” Goodell said.
“And it would be difficult for us to do that. And that not only affects the investigation that you’re going through, but it affects future investigations and the credibility that so when you make a promise to protect them in anonymity, to make sure that we get the right information you need to stand by. And so we’re very conscious of making sure that we’re protecting those who came forth.”
Goodell was also asked about Snyder.
“I do think he’s been held accountable,” Goodell said. “Dan Snyder has not been involved with the organization for now almost four months.”
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Few owners stopped to speak to reporters, with Miami Dolphins boss Stephen Ross taking a wrong turn into the reporters’ area and saying, “I know what it’s about.”
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson did stop to talk to reporters, though more with an agenda to voice support for his beleaguered GM, Joe Douglas. Asked about the WFT emails, he said, “I don’t know, you know, that’s something between the league and the various people involved in that. I’m not going to really opine on that. We’re here for football.
“Well, I know we’ll be spending a lot of time on those issues, diversity, inclusion, and all of that trying to up our game. … So I know that that’s a critical part.”
Asked if it was strange that the NFL did not issue a written report on the WFT investigation, Johnson declined to comment.
The letter, signed by the 13 former employees, said, “If the NFL discloses the results of the investigation and takes meaningful steps to address the underlying problems, that will send the message that the league does not tolerate misogyny and abuse.”
(Photo of Melanie Coburn addressing the media on Tuesday: Dan Kaplan / The Athletic)