The coverup, as they say, is worse than the crime.
Friday’s report from 106.7 The Fan in D.C. regarding the status of the investigation into the workplace culture at the Washington Football Team includes an explanation that attorney Beth Wilkinson’s recommended forfeiture of the franchise by majority owner Daniel Snyder flows in part from a perceived misconduct during the investigative process.
“She was recommending this to [Commissioner Roger] Goodell mainly because of the coverup and lack of integrity throughout the internal investigations,” Jason Bishop of 106.7 The Fan said. “Apparently [Snyder] was trying to persuade or instruct other employees not to talk to Wilkinson’s firm about what they were investigating. So there was the coverup right there. And once she reported back to Goodell that this was happening, that’s why she’s recommending he needs to go, because of the coverup.”
The NFL issued a statement on Friday generally calling the report from 106.7 The Fan “absolutely false.”
It’s impossible to reconcile the report with the denial. Given Snyder’s propensity to use the legal system when he believes he has been defamed, the folks at 106.7 The Fan, which is owned and operated by the Entercom conglomerate, surely know to tread lightly.
Hopefully, the investigation will result in a report that can be fully and completely read, digested, understood, and analyzed. These issues are far too significant, and the lessons to be learned by other workplaces and managers are far too important.
Transparence is a major aspect of accountability. The league needs to be fully transparent about the results of the investigation -- especially if Wilkinson found that Snyder was being less than transparent in his efforts to allow it to happen.