By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -The NFL on Wednesday said it will independently investigate sexual misconduct allegations made against Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder, hours after the team announced it would conduct its own investigation.
Tiffani Johnston, a former cheerleader and marketing manager for the team, told a Congressional hearing last week that Snyder had put his hand on her thigh during a dinner and aggressively tried to push her into his limo. Snyder has denied the allegations.
“Last week, the League stated that we will review and consider Ms. Johnston’s allegations as we would any others regarding workplace conduct at the Washington Commanders,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in a statement to Reuters.
“The League, not the team, will conduct an independent investigation and will be retaining an investigator to determine the facts shortly.”
The NFL’s announcement came hours after the team said it had appointed law firm Pallas Global Group to manage an independent investigation into an allegation, a move some lawmakers criticized.
Snyder has denied any wrongdoing, noting that some of allegations made against him were more than 13 years old. Johnston’s employment with the team ended in 2008.
An NFL investigation into the workplace culture at the team led to a $10 million fine last year.
Asked about the allegations on Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league takes them “very seriously”.
“I do not see any way that a team can do its own investigation of itself,” he said at a news conference.
“That’s something that we would do with an outside expert who would be able to come to a conclusion of what the facts were and what really, truly happened so we can make the right decision from there.
“So we’ll treat that seriously and move forward.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los AngelesEditing by Toby Davis)
