Congress has entered the chat regarding the WFT workplace misconduct investigation. And the NFL can’t afford to be perceived as trying to run and hide. Even if it would love too.
Via the Associated Press, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy acknowledged the league has received Thursday’s letter from the House Oversight and Reform Committee seeking extensive documents and information regarding the investigation and the manner in which the league handled it.
McCarthy said that the league shares the committee’s “concern that all workplaces should be free from any form of harassment and discrimination,” and McCarthy said that “we look forward to speaking to [Chairperson Carolyn Maloney’s] office soon.”
What’s said in matters like this is often as important as what isn’t said. Looking forward to speaking with the Chairperson’s office is a far cry from making a blanket commitment to cooperate with the requests. Surely, the league won’t immediately yield on its stubborn refusal to share details about the investigation.
So let’s see what happens. The league undoubtedly still wants all of this to go away. Congress has made that much harder. The NFL nevertheless will try to strike the balance between creating the appearance of cooperation while reserving the right to obfuscate in the same way as it has in the Rams relocation litigation, where the presiding judge recently accused several owners of engaging in a game of “three-card monte.”