NEW YORK — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell doubled down Tuesday on the league’s decision not to make public the results of its investigation into the workplace culture at the Washington Football Team, saying the anonymity of the people who cooperated with the investigation was too high a priority to allow the league to do so.
“We’re very conscious of making sure we’re protecting those who came forward,” Goodell said after six hours of NFL owners meetings in midtown Manhattan. “That was a very high priority.”
The investigation has come under fire again in recent weeks after some of the emails unearthed in the process became public, resulting in the resignation of Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden. In those emails, Gruden used racist, anti-gay and misogynistic language that the league has denounced. Calls to release more of the emails have been rejected.
On Tuesday, two former Washington Football Team employees came to the hotel where the owners were meeting, with copies of a letter they sent to the league asking for the findings of the investigation to be made public. Those former employees specifically mentioned Washington team owner Daniel Snyder, who as a result of the investigation has, according to Goodell, not been a part of team activities for the past several months. Snyder’s wife, Tanya, who is a co-CEO of the franchise, has taken over daily operations, and the team was fined $10 million in the wake of the investigation.
“I do think he’s been held accountable,” Goodell said of Daniel Snyder. “More importantly, steps were put in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Goodell also said the league looks forward to cooperating with a congressional inquiry into its investigation. Two members of the House oversight committee wrote the league last week saying they were seeking more information on the investigation into workplace misconduct with the Washington Football Team.