Dan Snyder will pay $60 million to the NFL after an independent investigation confirmed he sexually harassed an employee and that the Commanders withheld revenue from the NFL, the league announced Thursday evening.

The attorneys representing the two former Commanders employees whose allegations prompted the investigation called it a “a day to celebrate.” But in a statement, they asked “why, after being repeatedly made aware of the numerous allegations against Mr. Snyder – through our clients’ testimony, the Beth Wilkinson investigation and a Congressional investigation – the NFL and Roger Goodell allowed him to retain ownership, buried the findings of its own investigation and most importantly, helped him hide and avoid accountability.”

Former U.S. Attorney and SEC Chair Mary Jo White conducted the 17-month investigation. White and her team interviewed dozens of witnesses, reviewed over 10,000 documents, and brought assistance from a team of forensic accountants.

In 2022, Tiffani Johnston testified about two incidents to the House Oversight Committee investigating workplace culture allegations. In the first incident, she said Snyder placed his hand on her thigh during a work dinner and tried to push her to his car when leaving the same event.

Snyder denied Johnston’s allegations, but the evidence supports that Johnston was touched non-consensually at the work dinner and pushed towards the back seat of Snyder’s car.

In the other incident, she said a former senior executive got an unedited photo revealing her “personal areas” at the direction of Snyder to look at and share with him.

The senior executive had entered the room where supervisors of the cheerleading program were editing photos for a calendar. He noticed where post-it notes were being used to cover up areas that required editing to cover up “inadvertent exposure,” according to the report. He asked to see the photo and was told no, but returned and took it during the employees’ lunch break.

While evidence did not show Snyder was involved in the photo incident, the report confirmed a former executive-level employee did obtain and view the unedited calendar photo of her.

“The conduct substantiated in Ms. White’s findings has no place in the NFL,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a press release. “We strive for workplaces that are safe, respectful, and professional. What Ms. Johnston experienced is inappropriate and contrary to the NFL’s values.”

The investigation didn’t end there. Another former employee, Jason Friedman, corroborated Johnston’s account. He also testified that for a number of years, the Commanders had repeatedly and deliberately omitted NFL ticket sales revenue from reports that were sent to the NFL.

“The Investigation specifically identified approximately $11 million in revenues (including those in the Jason Friedman allegations) that the Club appears to have improperly shielded from sharing, to the extent required by NFL policies,” according to the report. The amount may have been higher, but the Commanders did not provide adequate accounting records and supporting documentation for all finances in question, according to the report. The team said it was “inappropriate” for them to bear the burden
of justifying their transactions.

Friedman also said that for more than a decade, some Commanders’ senior executives pushed employees to retain customers’ security deposits for multi-year club and suite seat leases. This is a direct violation of contractual obligations to return security deposits upon the leases’ expiration, according to the report.

The evidence confirmed that the Commanders franchise knowingly and intentionally violated NFL policies, but investigators were unable to find – or rule out – Snyder’s involvement.

“At a minimum, [Snyder] was aware of certain efforts to minimize revenue sharing, at least some of which were later found to be in violation of the NFL rules” the report says. “He also set a tone at the top that pressured employees to cut costs and improve the financial performance of the Club.”

Back in April, the Commanders ended up paying the D.C. government and ticket holders $625,000 for the security deposit issue. The Commanders told investigators that as of July 17, the franchise still held $1.9 million in security deposits related to inactive accounts and is working to address the issue.

Throughout the investigation, Snyder and the Commanders publicly agreed to cooperate.

“Despite that pledge, Mr. Snyder and the Club failed to cooperate,” the report stated. “Mr. Snyder, for nearly a year, refused to be interviewed and, when he did finally agree to an interview, he declared that it would be limited to one hour.”

The findings were released immediately after NFL owners unanimously approved the sale of the Commanders to Josh Harris — owner of the NBA’s 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils – and his investment group. The fine is a drop in the bucket compared to the deal and Snyder’s $4.6 billion net worth. It represents only 1% of the $6.05 billion sale price. However, this is a record-setting fine, beating the last record of $10 million – also for Snyder and the Commanders team. The NFL has not yet disclosed how the $60 million will be used.

Snyder has been a dark cloud for fans as they’ve endured 24 years of lawsuits and a losing team. But the sale closed today, and fans hope for a brighter future with less controversy and more victories.