Roger Goodell Wrong to Hold Back NFL Report on WFT: Whistleblowers' Lawyer

A lawyer acting for 40 former Washington Football Team (WFT) employees has accused National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell of giving "false" reasons for not making more information about an investigation into a culture of homophobic, racial and sexual abuse under owner Daniel Snyder public.

The year-long probe, which was completed in July, looked at several alleged incidents of sexual harassment, bullying, and intimidation under Snyder. After the investigation concluded, the NFL fined WFT $10 million and said human resource consultants will monitor the Washington team for two years. It was also agreed that Snyder would cede control of the franchise's daily operations to his wife, Tanya, the team's co-CEO, for an unspecified amount of time.

However, the league did not release the findings of the investigation, led by Washington-based lawyer Beth Wilkinson. She was instead asked to deliver her report orally to the league.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Tuesday that the league would not release materials related to the investigation because the NFL wanted to protect those who had come forward in the probe.

"They were incredibly brave, incredibly open and we respect the pain that they probably went through—or were in—to come forward, so that was a very high priority for us," he said.

But Lisa Banks, an Washington, D.C.-based attorney representing 40 former WFT employees who participated in the investigation, said on Twitter Goodell's statement was false.

"My clients did not ask the NFL for "protection" when they participated in the investigation. They asked for transparency and accountability —and received neither," Banks added in a follow-up tweet.

Goodell's first substantive public comments on the investigation on Tuesday came after two former WFT employees hand-delivered a letter to the team owners at the hotel at which they were meeting earlier that day, urging the league to release information about the investigation.

Newsweek has contacted Banks, Wilkinson and the NFL for comment.

On Tuesday, at the end of the first day of a two-day meeting of team owners, Goodell defended the move to withhold the findings of the investigation, despite increasing calls by accusers, activists and lawmakers to release it.

"We feel that this is the appropriate way to do it. We summarized the findings of Beth and made it very clear that the workplace environment of the Washington Football Team was not what we expected in the NFL and then held them accountable. But more importantly, steps were put in place to make sure that it does not happen again," he said.

Last week, two House Democrats wrote to Goodell to provide Congress with findings of the league's investigation. The NFL chief said on Tuesday he would respond to Congress "appropriately" and that the footballing body will be "co-operative."

The hand-delivered letter was addressed to five owners on the NFL's social justice working group and copied to all other owners. It was signed by 12 former team employees.

After delivering the letter, one of the employees, Melanie Coburn, told the Washington Post: "I just really felt compelled to be here in person to hand-deliver these letters to make my voice and make all of our stories heard."

"I think it's very important that the other owners know what is going on in the Washington football franchise. And I'm honored to be here to represent all of those who have worked in this culture and survived."