First Published:
3:09 PM PDT, June 22, 2022
The owner of Washington D.C.’s pro football team was nowhere to be seen Wednesday when he came under fire at a congressional hearing.
Dan Snyder of the Washington Commanders, formerly known as the Redskins, allegedly orchestrated a campaign of sexual harassment against the cheerleaders.
“Mr. Snyder himself fostered the Commanders’ toxic workplace,” Rep. Carolyn Maloney, House Oversight and Reform Committee chair, said at the hearing.
But the 57-year-old billionaire was not at the hearing. A ship-tracking app was used to show his whereabouts: 4,000 miles away in the French Riviera on his $180 million yacht, called Lady S.
“He chose to skip town. Apparently Mr. Snyder is in France, where he has docked his luxury yacht near a resort town,” Maloney said.
Maloney held up a 100-page dossier she says private investigators hired by Snyder compiled on the women.
“It shows the lengths Mr. Snyder went to, to harass, intimidate and silence his accusers,” Maloney said.
Cheerleaders on a calendar shoot in Costa Rica claimed they were required to pose topless and ordered to act as escorts, although no sex was involved, Inside Edition reported in 2018.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was also in the hot seat and told the committee the NFL has resolved the issues with the team.
“What specific steps will the NFL take to hold Dan Snyder accountable?” Maloney asked Goodell.
“Dan Snyder has been accountable. He faced unprecedented discipline, including financial fines,” Goodell said.
There were fireworks as Republicans on the committee said there were more important issues to deal with.
The NFL fined the Commanders $10 million. Snyder stepped down from day-to-day operations. His rep says he didn’t attend the hearing because of business commitments and concerns it wouldn’t be fair.
