Post-hearing, Snyders and Wright send letter to front office originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Shortly after the latest Oversight Committee hearing centered around the Commanders’ allegedly toxic workplace and Dan Snyder’s involvement in fostering that environment, Dan and Tanya Snyder, along with team president Jason Wright, sent a letter to members of the club commending the cultural “transformation” that’s taken place around the franchise since 2020.
“While we respect the Committee’s desire to learn more about how workplace culture issues can be addressed, some of the comments in the media that have portrayed our team in a harsh and negative manner does not reflect who we are as an organization today,” the Snyders and Wright wrote.
The letter, which features a subject line of “A Reminder Of Two Years Of Progress,” then goes on to list the ways that the Commanders have improved their “diversity, equity and inclusion practices” in an effort to “speak out and validate [employees’] hard work, credibility and ethics” during Washington’s attempt to rebuild its image.
From there, the letter highlights:
- The hiring of Ron Rivera as head coach and the hiring of Wright as president
- The appointment of Tanya Snyder as the Commanders Co-CEO
- “Critical investments in our stadium infrastructure, technology, and human resources”
- Assessments made by an independent firm called Vestry Laight that lauds the Commanders’ “substantial” changes and adherence to the 10 initiatives that Beth Wilkinson recommended to the league following her investigation into Snyder-led culture
The letter also includes quotes from various members of Washington’s staff that those members provided during Vestry-designed surveys.
“The direction of leadership is a complete 360 from what has occurred in past years, and it’s a noticeable difference,” one person told Vestry.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter first obtained the letter, and it was released in the aftermath of Wednesday’s Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in which Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) announced her intention to subpoena Dan Snyder, as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell faced numerous questions about his and the league’s response to complaints about and allegations against the Commanders.
Snyder declined to attend the hearing despite multiple requests to be a part of it.
Just before the hearing, meanwhile, Maloney and the Committee publicized a memo that detailed Snyder’s alleged role in “creating a hostile work environment,” described “his efforts to discredit victims and witnesses by launching a shadow investigation to influence the NFL’s internal investigation” and outlined “new evidence showing the NFL and the Commanders, contrary to their public statements, failed to act independently while the [NFL’s own] internal investigation [into the Commanders] was ongoing.”
A spokesperson for Snyder responded to the memo with this statement.
“It is clear the outcome of the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the Washington Commanders was predetermined from the beginning,” the spokesperson said. “The committee’s decision to release a ‘report’ and introduce legislation prior to the hearing is proof-positive this was always going to be little more than a politically-charged show trial, not about uncovering the truth. Hopefully, the committee will utilize its resources going forward for more pressing national matters, instead of an issue a football team addressed years ago.”
Snyder’s upcoming deposition, which Maloney said will hopefully come next week, will happen in a private setting.
