Commanders owner Dan Snyder’s attorneys ‘may have used NFL probe to target witnesses’

Team Owner Dan Snyder: There are several outstanding charges against Snyder.

A former cheerleader named Tiffany Bacon Scourby told the Washington Post that in 2004 Snyder suggested that she sit in a hotel room with his “good friend” so they could “get to know each other.”

In February 2022, a former female employee told HBO she saw Snyder laughing and puffing on a cigar as she watched a male manager grope the back of her female colleague in Snyder’s private suite at FedEx Field.

Another former employee, Tiffani Mattingly Johnston, said Snyder once put his hand on her knee at a dinner party and later pressured her to get into his limousine, which she declined.

According to the Washington Post, Snyder privately settled one sexual harassment charge for $1.6 million in 2009 after an incident aboard his private plane. The woman, a former club employee, claims that Snyder asked her for sex, groped her and tried to remove her clothes while the couple was on a team plane returning from Las Vegas.

His prosecutor had agreed not to charge the team and not disclose her allegations as part of the settlement, but The Washington Post made them public in June 2022. The newspaper received a letter from a team lawyer setting out her allegations, while claiming the allegations were not credible.

Furthermore, the billionaire is accused of belittling executives, according to three members of the executive staff. In particular, it is alleged that he ridiculed an employee named Dennis Greene for being a college cheerleader, and allegedly once instructed him to do cartwheels for his amusement. Snyder temporarily handed over day-to-day running of the club to his wife, Tanya, as the club was fined $10 million by the NFL. He now faces a criminal investigation in Virginia, where the club is charged with financial malpractice for allegedly defrauding season ticket holders out of bail bonds and falsely withholding ticket revenue from NFL teams. The commanders have denied these claims.

Chief Operating Officer Mitch Gershman: Former team member Emily Applegate said he routinely complimented her body and also regularly scolded her for minor issues, such as printer malfunctions. Her allegations were supported by two other female former employees. When contacted, Gershman told The Post, “I barely remember who she is,” adding that he would “apologise to anyone who thought I was being verbally abusive.” Gershman left the team in 2015.

Team Chairman Bruce Allen: While Allen was not charged with sexual harassment or verbal abuse, Applegate claims he must have known about her troubles because “he sat 10 feet away from me… and saw me sobbing at my desk several times a week.” The brother of former Virginia Governor and U.S. Senator George Allen, Bruce, found himself at the center of Jon Gruden’s email controversy in October 2021 when the now-former Raiders coach’s racist, homophobic messages mysteriously spread to the media leaked. Ultimately, the emails led to Gruden’s resignation as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Bruce Allen was fired after the 2019 season when… Washington went 3-13.

Director of Pro Staff Alex Santos: Six former employees and two reporters who covered the team told the Washington Post that Santos made inappropriate comments about their appearance. He also asked them if they were romantically interested in him. In 2019, he allegedly pinched Rhiannon Walker, a reporter for The Athletic, and told her she had “an ass like a wagon.” This led to an internal investigation. Another reporter, Nora Princiotti of the Ringer, also accused Santos of harassing her. Santos, who declined to talk to The Post, was fired in July 2020.

Team radio play-by-play announcer Larry Michael: Seven former employees told The Post that “the voice of the Washington Redskins” often spoke openly about the appearance of female co-workers and often made sexually disparaging comments. He was once caught ‘hot mic’ in 2018 while discussing the appearance of an intern, six sources told The Post. He is also accused of ordering employees to co-edit a video of lewd behind-the-scenes outtakes from a 2008 calendar shoot. Michael, who declined to talk to The Post, retired in July 2020 after 16 seasons.

Deputy Director of Pro Personnel Richard Mann II: In a text message obtained by The Post, Mann told a female colleague that he and other men in the office were discussing whether she had had plastic surgery on her breasts. He also warned another female colleague to expect an “inappropriate hug” from him, adding: “Don’t worry there will be a stapler in my pocket, nothing else.” Mann declined to speak to The Post after being fired in July 2020.

CEO Dennis Greene: Five former employees told The Post that Greene asked female salespeople to wear revealing outfits and flirt with wealthy season ticket holders and suite holders. Greene worked for the club for 17 years until 2018, when it was revealed he had sold team cheerleaders access at a bikini photo shoot in Costa Rica as part of a ticket package. According to a New York Times investigation, there was no sex involved in the shoot on the 2013 calendar, but team officials worried the cheerleaders by taking their passports. Some cheerleaders say they had to be topless, even though the shoot didn’t include nudity. After a 14-hour recording one day, nine of the 36 cheerleaders were reportedly asked to escort suite owners to a local nightclub. According to the Times, several women began to cry. Greene declined to comment and has not worked for the team since he stepped down in 2018.