BY STEPHEN WHYNO, AP Sports journalist
WASHINGTON (AP) – Twenty former Washington Football Team employees on Thursday asked NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to release the final report of an independent investigation into the organization’s conduct.
Owner Dan Snyder hired attorney Beth Wilkinson to conduct an independent investigation in July after several former employees made allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace. The NFL took control of the investigation in July, which is now complete, according to letters from staff and their attorneys.
Wilkinson referred a comment to the league office. A message for an NFL spokesperson was not returned immediately.
“There needs to be accountability for the actions we believe are included in this report,” the staff wrote in their letter to Goodell. “But without transparency, there can be no accountability. And there cannot be healing for any of us without understanding the truth, which confirms that we are not alone and that our allegations are supported by others.”
Goodell said at his virtual press conference ahead of the Super Bowl that Washington “has already made many changes.”
“You asked for this type of review,” Goodell said on February 4. “You asked for the recommendations.” Dan and Tanya (Snyder) will be making these changes for the football club. … It’s nice to see that. But I assume Beth’s recommendations will help. “
Washington hired Jason Wright as team president last summer and is in the midst of an internal review of all game day operations.
Seventeen women signed the letter to Goodell by name and three others anonymously. They demanded that identities and other private information be edited, but that the league make the results of the investigation available to the public.
“Failure to do this would be betraying the many women who have bravely come forward to provide vital information for the NFL investigation,” wrote lawyers Lisa Banks and Debra Katz in another letter to Goodell Thursday. Banks and Katz said they represent 40 former members of the team.
The AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner contributed to this.
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