NFL set to conduct independent investigation into Dan Snyder's Commanders

The entire NFL world was left confused Wednesday morning regarding a report surrounding Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder.

ESPN's Adam Schefter claimed the owner was hiring his own investigators to conduct an investigation into his alleged sexual harassment accusations. Thus, Snyder would be paying people to investigate himself.

The conflict of interest was jarring, and fans reacted with shock on social media. The NFL clearly caught wind of that and offered up some clarification.

"Last week, the League stated that we will review and consider Ms. Johnston's allegatoins as we would any others regarding workplace conduct at the Washington Commanders. The League, not the team, will conduct an indepedent investigation and will be retaining an investigator to determine the facts shortly."

That was courtesy of the NFL's own public relations department. So fans now know the NFL will at least be the ones looking into the owner of the Commanders. Yet there are still serious questions and concerns to address as this investigation begins.

NFL must offer clarity on situation with Dan Snyder and the Commanders

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's Super Bowl Press Conference

The whole situation revolves around Snyder allegedly sexually harassing a former employee. This led to an even larger look at possibly inappropriate workplace conduct in Washington.

This has even reached Congress, and a report has already been compiled. Unfortunately, the NFL cannot release it without Snyder's permission. That seems ideal for anyone actually under investigation. Him not releasing it may be a telling sign in itself.

But the NFL conducting its own investigation should mean they can release the findings. However, the league is still a private entity, so there is no obligation to release any of the findings. Everything could still be handled internally, as it has been for years.

Fans will recall that the emails that led to Jon Gruden's resignation in Las Vegas came out during an investigation into the Washington franchise. Yet, no other emails were leaked out from a trove of tens of thousands. That could mean Snyder is sitting on other information the NFL does not want to release.

The entire situation is shocking and takes the focus away from football, which is something the league must address. An owner harassing employees just cannot happen and fans will wait to see if anything actually occurs in terms of real discipline and consequences.

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