Washington Commanders News & Rumors

An agreement has been reached between the House Oversight Committee investigating the Commanders’ workplace culture and owner Dan Snyder allowing the latter to give testimony starting today. He will do so remotely, and, as expected given previous developments in this matter, voluntarily. 

“The Committee’s deposition of Mr. Snyder will go forward today,” per a written statement from a committee spokesperson, via Mark Maske, Liz Clarke and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. “Mr. Snyder has committed to providing full and complete testimony, and to answer the Committee’s questions about his knowledge of and contributions to the Commanders’ toxic work environment, as well as his efforts to interfere with the NFL’s internal investigation, without hiding behind nondisclosure or other confidentiality agreements.”

After weeks of negotiations regarding the circumstances under which Snyder would speak, it became known that he would only do so voluntarily, as opposed to under oath. The distinction would allow him to avoid answering questions pertaining to matters covered by nondisclosure agreements. The possibility still remains, however, for a subpoena to be issued later. The committee statement details that “should Mr. Snyder fail to honor his commitments, the Committee is prepared to compel his testimony on any unanswered questions upon his return to the United States.” 

The deposition will not be public, though the transcript can subsequently be released in whole or in part later. Snyder is expected to be questioned for longer than commissioner Roger Goodell was last month. Snyder’s refusal to speak voluntarily as Goodell did at the time led to a subpoena being issued, and the resulting back-and-forth between the committee and his representatives.

Today marks the next important chapter in this saga, one of many which have further soured the perception of Snyder around the league. With more details yet to emerge regarding the allegations of financial impropriety the team is currently facing (the result of which could have significant consequences on the potential of the league’s other owners attempting to remove him), Snyder will remain in the unwanted spotlight for the foreseeable future.

JULY 13: Another effort from Snyder to avoid questioning from the House Oversight Committee may be in progress. Responding to the committee’s latest salvo, Seymour said her client would only testify voluntarily (and not under oath).

“Under the circumstances, there is no valid basis to issue a subpoena for Mr. Snyder’s testimony,” Seymour said, via the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala (Twitter links). “We intend that he will testify voluntarily on July 28. We are confident that Mr. Snyder will able to provide full and complete testimony during his voluntary appearance – a view the Committee apparently shared…since the Committee invited him to testify voluntarily at a hearing held just three weeks ago.”

This figures to put the ball back in the committee’s court, continuing what has become a lengthy back-and-forth. The Congressional panel approving Snyder’s request to testify voluntarily would open the door to the Commanders owner ending his silence in this investigation but punting on certain questions. Seymour said Snyder would not answer questions on matters covered by nondisclosure agreements.

“Mr. Snyder has a troubling history of using NDAs to cover up workplace misconduct — behavior that is central to our investigation — and it would be highly inappropriate for him to employ the same tactic to withhold information from the Committee,” Oversight Committee chairperson Carolyn Maloney said Tuesday, via Mark Maske of the Washington Post. “Other former Commanders employees have participated in Committee depositions under subpoena, and Mr. Snyder should not be treated any differently.”

JULY 12: Dan Snyder has both avoided a House Oversight Committee request to testify in its months-long investigation into the Commanders’ workplace misconduct and has been evasive since he was hit with a subpoena to appear before the committee. But the committee is willing to accept one of Snyder’s stipulations in an effort to ensure he testifies.

Last week, Snyder attorney Karen Patton Seymour said her client would be available to be questioned by the committee on July 28 or July 29, via videoconference, but not June 30 — the date initially associated with the committee’s subpoena. The longtime Washington owner remains out of the country. The committee will now accept Snyder’s videoconference testimony, with John Keim of ESPN.com relaying (via Twitter) Snyder’s subpoena has been adjusted to allow for this session to take place July 28.

“The Committee accepts your offer for Mr. Snyder to testify on the subjects under investigation by the Committee on July 28,” the committee said in a statement to Seymour. “[We] will proceed with a subpoena in place to ensure that Mr. Snyder’s testimony will be full and complete.”

This process may encounter more Snyder resistance. The committee’s Tuesday decision pertains to Snyder testifying under its terms — via the subpoena — whereas Snyder’s offer was to testify voluntarily, according to Keim and the Washington Post’s Liz Clarke (Twitter links). Under the committee’s terms, Snyder must testify under oath and cannot choose the questions he does and does not answer. Snyder must decide his next move by 11am CT Wednesday, per Clarke.

Snyder cited a work conflict as the reason he could not testify alongside Roger Goodell at the June 22 hearing. The commissioner appeared virtually and answered the committee’s questions regarding the conduct of Snyder and his franchise. The committee then issued a subpoena to bring forth Snyder testimony.

The next chapter would be Snyder testifying later this month. It will be interesting to see if the embattled Commanders owner does so, or if another move to avoid questioning transpires.

Dan Snyder has made more unwanted headlines recently as the House Oversight Committee continues its investigation into the Commanders’ workplace culture. After commissioner Roger Goodell voluntarily testified to the committee last month, Snyder stated that he was unavailable to do so at the time. 

That led to a subpoena being issued by Chairperson Carolyn Maloney to compel the Washington owner’s testimony. “If the NFL is unwilling or unable to hold Mr. Snyder accountable,” she said, “then I am prepared to do so.” Snyder has, however, reportedly shown an ability to voluntarily be deposed.

As detailed by ESPN’s John Keim and Tisha Thompson, Snyder offered to testify via videoconference later this month. A letter from his attorney, Karen Seymour, states that July 28 and 29 are dates during which Snyder will be available to be questioned; he cited a work conflict as the reason he couldn’t testify when initially requested to do so. Those two days are the last until Congress’ current session ends.

Per the report, Seymour has still yet to accept the subpoena, and both sides “continue to negotiate the terms under which Snyder would testify.” His offer would consist of a private deposition being recorded, some or all of which the Committee could later release. Notably, the fact that he would be speaking voluntarily would give Snyder the ability to cite the nondisclosure agreements many former employees signed as a way of avoiding certain questions – an option which wouldn’t exist if the subpoena were to be accepted.

A statement from a Committee spokesperson reads in part: “We remain committed to securing Mr. Snyder’s testimony on the toxic work environment at the Washington Commanders following his failure to appear voluntarily at the Committee’s hearing and his continued refusal to allow his attorney to accept service of a subpoena.”

This episode also comes amidst uncertainty regarding Snyder’s future in the day-to-day operations of the team. He was removed from those duties last year, and discussions on when he will be allowed to resume them “[have] not yet happened.” Much will depend, likely, on the outcome of his testimony in determining his personal future.