The NFL is taking on oversight of the investigation into sexual harassment at the Washington Football Team, following new reporting on the sexist, exploitative environment that allegedly festered at the team for decades.

The investigation was originally launched by team owner Dan Snyder in July, after an initial report by the Washington Post documenting harassment allegations from more than a dozen former employees. Snyder called it an “independent investigation,” conducted by a law firm recommended by the NFL, but many people were skeptical — could the team by trusted to investigate itself?

Now the league is taking over the investigation. Snyder spoke with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday, and both men agreed it would be best to shift responsibility for the investigation to the league, rather than the team being investigated, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. D.C.-based attorney Beth Wilkinson will continue to lead the investigation.

The Washington Football Team also agreed to release current and former employees from non-disclosure agreements for the purpose of speaking to investigators.

“NDAs are designed for one purpose only, which is to have a chilling effect on individuals and make them too scared to come forward and talk,” said Debra Katz, a lawyer who represents 15 women with claims against Snyder and the team.

“If people are muzzled, we’ll never get a full sense of what happened here — what happened here for decades,” said Katz in an interview with DCist/WAMU.

Katz was on a call Monday with the NFL, where she was told that the league was taking over the investigation. She called the move an encouraging sign.

“Our clients are going to be much more comfortable talking about these allegations if this investigation is under the auspices of the NFL, rather than something that Snyder could have any degree of control over.”

Katz said the team should go further, however, and release people from NDAs more broadly, not just when speaking with investigators. “Women should be able to tell their stories in whatever forum they want to be able to tell it,” she said.

Snyder said he and his wife Tanya came up with the idea to transfer the investigation to the NFL, according to a statement obtained by Rapoport.

“In conversations with Commissioner Goodell, Tanya and I suggested that the NFL assume full oversight of the investigation so that the results are thorough, complete and trusted by the fans, the players, our employees and the public,” Snyder wrote. “The entire Washington Football Team remains committed to fully cooperating with all aspects of the investigation.”

For the most recent story on the football team, Washington Post reporters spoke to 100 current and former employees about the exploitative environment at the team, including 25 women who say they experienced sexual harassment while working there. The majority of the women spoke to reporters under the condition of anonymity because of non-disclosure agreements or fear of reprisal.