Daniel Snyder conducted 'shadow investigation' to bury findings of official probe into Washington Commanders organization, House committee says

Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder conducted a «shadow investigation» of allegations that he had fostered a toxic work culture within his organization and worked closely with the NFL to monitor and, ultimately, bury the findings from an official internal investigation, according to findings by a Democrat-led U.S. House committee released Wednesday.

The U.S. House Oversight Committee released a 29-page memo on its findings, supported by more than 600 pages of depositions, on the morning that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was scheduled to testify.

Among other allegations described in the memo, the committee's eight-month investigation found evidence that Snyder used subpoena authority available to parties involved in overseas lawsuits to obtain correspondence from former president Bruce Allen and other former employees. The goal, according to the memo, was to build a case to the NFL that Allen was to blame for the team's toxic workplace environment, and that former employees were conspiring to disparage him.

The committee says Snyder used a common-interest agreement between the Commanders and the NFL to «attempt to steer the direction» of the independent investigation into the team led by attorney Beth Wilkinson and to discredit accusers, including those cited in reports published by the Washington Post, by providing the NFL and Wilkinson with «derogatory information about them.»

Snyder has repeatedly declined to appear at Wednesday's hearing, telling the committee he would be out of the country on business.

When asked for comment Wednesday, the NFL provided a copy of Goodell's prepared remarks to the committee, in which he repeated his assertions that «workplace in Washington was unprofessional and unacceptable in