"Roger Goodell is part of the problem" - Congresswoman blasts NFL commissioner over handling of Washington franchise's controversies

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been blasted by US Congresswoman Jackie Speier over the handling of the Washington Commanders hostile workplace investigation.

Speier was among members of the House Oversight Committee who heard testimony from six former Commanders employees. The committee has been pushing for months for the NFL and the Commanders to release information related to the investigation. The inquiry is being led by former assistant U.S. attorney Beth Wilkinson.

Speaking to Front Office Sports about the situation, Speier believes Goodell is one of the main factors behind why very few inroads have been made since the conclusion of the investigation.

"I think Roger Goodell is a part of the problem." said Speier.

Tiffani Johnston, a former cheerleader and marketing manager for the Commanders, alleged in her testimony that owner Dan Snyder invited her to a networking event “not for me to discuss business, but to allow him, Dan Snyder, to place his hand on my thigh under the table." Johnson also said that he later pushed her towards his limo. Snyder has since called these claims "outright lies."

Speier has now called on Goodell to remove Snyder from the franchise, saying that in any other corporation, Synder would have been shown the door "a decade ago."

"My question to him is why haven’t you prohibited Snyder from having the franchise?” Speier said. "He’s not conducted himself in a manner that should allow him to continue to own the Commanders. In any other corporation, a board of directors would have booted him out a decade ago.”

The Commissioner does have the authority to recommend that an owner be removed if it is determined that they are “guilty of conduct detrimental to the welfare of the league.” Speier previously called on Goodell to answer for what she claims is a cover-up.

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Goodell and NFL fined Commanders in July; franchise must resolve this issue and look to the future

Team co-owner Dan Snyder speaks during the announcement of the Washington Football Team's name change to the Washington Commanders at FedExField

The NFL fined the Commanders $10 million in July and laid out a series of recommendations to fix the team's workplace culture, but Snyder wasn’t individually sanctioned.

On February 2, 2022, Washington rebranded itself as the "Commanders," after dropping the Redskins name in 2020. This came after the franchise faced protests from fans as well as pressure from several NFL and team sponsors to change their name.

It is important that this issue be resolved in a timely fashion as the franchise looks to start fresh with their new name in order to build towards a bright future as the Washington Commanders. Whether that is with owner Dan Snyder or not remains to be seen.