Former Washington Football Team employees to share sexual harassment allegations with House committee

Former Washington Football Team employees will share their allegations of sexual harassment and verbal abuse with members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Feb. 3 in what is being called a «roundtable» discussion, the committee announced Thursday morning.

Former employees who plan to participate include Emily Applegate, the team's former marketing coordinator and ticket sales representative; Melanie Coburn, a former cheerleader and former director of marketing; Rachel Engleson, a former intern who rose to director of marketing and client relations; Ana Nunez, former coordinator of business development and client services; and Brad Baker, a former video production manager.

«Our clients look forward to sharing their experiences directly with the committee,» Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who represent 40 former Washington employees, said in a statement. «Critical questions need to be asked and answered to WFT's pervasive culture of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the NFL's decision to allow owner Daniel Snyder to consolidate his power and ownership interest rather than take appropriate disciplinary action against him.»

Committee chair Rep. Carol Maloney, D-N.Y., will lead the roundtable discussion and will give all members of the committee who want to participate a chance to question the former employees.

«For more than twenty years, employees of the Washington Football Team were subjected to sexual harassment, verbal abuse, and other misconduct,» Maloney said in a statement. «It is becoming increasingly clear that not only did the team fail to protect employees, but the NFL went to great lengths to prevent the truth about this toxic work environment from coming to light. The NFL's decision to cover up