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Washington fined $10M by NFL after misconduct investigation

Dan Snyder, Tanya Snyder
Posted at 3:40 PM, Jul 01, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-01 17:40:21-04

The Washington Football Team has been fined by the National Football League $10 million after an independent investigation found the team's workplace environment, especially for women, to be "highly unprofessional."

Owner Dan Snyder will also be stepping away from day-to-day operations, and his wife Tanya will be in charge over the next "several months."

The investigation, which spanned over a year, was conducted by independent counsel Beth Wilkinson. Wilkinson was able to interview more than 150 people, many of which were current and former employees, who received anonymity in exchange for their testimony.

Snyder was interviewed twice.

"Based on Wilkinson's review, the 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.

"Ownership and senior management paid little or no attention to these issues. In some instances, senior executives engaged in inappropriate conduct themselves, including use of demeaning language and public embarrassment."

According to the Associated Press, the league did not strip the team of any draft picks.