The Washington Post - USA (2022-05-25)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ M2 D7

A partner in the New York of-

fice of law firm Debevoise &

Plimpton, White also oversaw the

NFL’s investigation of allegations

of workplace misconduct against

former Carolina Panthers owner

Jerry Richardson. She is a former

U.S. attorney for the Southern

District of New York and the for-

mer chair of the Securities and

Exchange Commission.

Her investigation of Richard-

son concluded there was no infor-

mation to discredit the claims

made against him. The NFL fined

Richardson $2.75 million in 2018,

and he sold the franchise to cur-

rent owner David Te pper.

The NFL has said it intends to

make the findings of White’s in-

vestigation public.

The offices of attorneys general

Jason S. Miyares (R) of Virginia

and Karl A. Racine (D) of the

District of Columbia have an-

nounced they are conducting

their own investigations.

Following a previous investiga-

tion by attorney Beth Wilkinson

of sexual harassment allegations

within the organization, the NFL

announced in July that the team

had been fined $10 million and

that Snyder’s wife, Ta nya, the

team’s co-CEO, would assume re-

sponsibilities for the franchise’s

day-to-day operations for an un-

specified period.

Ta nya Snyder has represented

the team at league meetings since

then, but she did not attend this

one after testing positive for the

coronavirus Tuesday morning,

according to a person with knowl-

edge of the situation.

Nicki Jhabvala in Washington

contributed to this report.

White’s investigation of Snyder

and the Commanders was

launched in the wake of allega-

tions made during a Feb. 3 con-

gressional roundtable.

Tiffani Johnston, a former

cheerleader and marketing man-

ager for the team, was among six

former employees who appeared

on Capitol Hill to speak about

their experiences working for the

team as the panel investigates its

workplace culture and the NFL’s

handling of allegations of perva-

sive sexual misconduct at the

franchise. She told members of

Congress that Snyder harassed

her at a team dinner, putting his

hand on her thigh and pressing

her toward his limo.

Snyder called the accusations

made directly against him “out-

right lies.”

White also is looking into alle-

gations of financial improprieties

that were detailed in a 20-page

letter sent by Democratic leaders

of the House Committee on Over-

sight and Reform to the Federal

Trade Commission.

The committee’s letter detailed

allegations made by Jason Fried-

man, a former vice president of

sales and customer service who

worked for the team for 24 years.

According to the letter, Friedman

accused the team of withholding

as much as $5 million in refund-

able deposits from season ticket

holders and also hiding money

that was supposed to be shared

among NFL owners.

The Commanders have denied

committing any financial impro-

prieties, writing in a letter to the

FTC that the allegations are

“baseless” and asserting that “no

investigation is warranted.”

Asked whether the owners
could reach the point of attempt-
ing to oust Snyder from owner-
ship if White’s report substanti-
ates the allegations against him,
that owner said, “I don’t know.”
While not ruling out the possi-
bility, multiple owners cited the
legal complications of such an
attempt, expressing the belief
that Snyder would go to great
lengths to fight any such effort.
NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell said he was unaware of
any effort by the owners aimed at
removing Snyder.
“I’m not aware of that at all,”
Goodell said at a n ews conference
following Tuesday’s meeting. “I
don’t respond much to specula-
tion, particularly one that I don’t
know has any fact basis.”
Tuesday’s comments follow re-
ports in recent months of increas-
ing unrest among NFL owners
about Snyder. An owner told USA
To day last weekend that owners
are “counting votes” regarding a
possible effort to remove Snyder.
The league will make a deter-
mination about potential disci-
pline once White’s i nvestigation is
completed, Goodell said.
“Obviously, I think we’ve taken
all of the allegations seriously,” he
said. “We’ll look at t hem, and we’ll
see if there’s any fact basis to any
of those. But we certainly will
treat those all seriously, and we’ll
deal with that once we know bet-
ter.”
Goodell acknowledged that the
owners have opinions about the
matter, adding, “I’ve often said to
everyone, including this group,
‘Let’s wait to get the facts.’ ”

NFL FROM D1

Peers back Snyder penalty, not ouster

BY SAM FORTIER

AND NICKI JHABVALA

The Washington Commanders’
first session of organized team
activities that was open to report-
ers was more notable for its ab-
sences than its participants. The
most significant absentee was
wide receiver Terry McLaurin,
who is apparently unhappy with
contract negotiations and has es-
calated his holdout by not attend-
ing workouts in Ashburn, includ-
ing a rainy one Tuesday morning.
“We’ve had communications
with [McLaurin and his agent],”
said Coach Ron Rivera, declining
to get into specifics. “We’ve been
working w ith t hem. It’s j ust a mat-
ter of time.”
The three other absent players
— defensive ends Chase Young
and Montez Sweat and wide re-
ceiver Cam Sims — had extenuat-
ing circumstances. Rivera said
Sims was attending t he b irth of h is
child, Sweat had a “personal
thing” and Young, who has been
rehabbing the torn ACL in his
right knee in Colorado for a s ignif-
icant portion o f the o ffseason, was
following a plan recommended to
him by doctors.
Rivera said he expects Sweat
and Sims to return soon and for
Young to join his teammates be-
fore the end of voluntary OTAs on
June 8. Washington has manda-
tory veteran minicamp scheduled
for June 16 to 18.
Also, defensive tackle Daron
Payne did not participate in team
drills, seemingly because of his
unresolved contract situation, ac-
cording to people with knowledge
of the situation.
A few players, including run-
ning back Antonio Gibson, said it
felt odd to be on the field without
McLaurin. The 26-year-old has
been one of the franchise’s most
reliable players s ince h e arrived in
2019, as well as, by all accounts, a
model teammate.
Negotiations have, in a small
way, already begun affecting the
team. Washington’s first-round
draft pick, Penn State wide receiv-
er Jahan Dotson, said he hasn’t
had the chance to speak with
McLaurin. Washington wants to
avoid missing any offseason prac-
tice time — defensive coordinator
Jack Del Rio recently blamed that
for the unit’s slow start last year —
especially with new quarterback
Carson Wentz.
But defensive tackle Jonathan
Allen, who was negotiating a new
contract last offseason, said he
understood McLaurin’s decision.
Last spring, amid frustrating ne-
gotiations, he sat out a week of
OTAs, eventually signing a new
contract just before training
camp.
“It’s tough,” he said. “Everyone
says, ‘Don’t take it personal,’ but

your whole life is about to change,

so it’s a very personal experience.

And I see it from both sides — the

organizational side and the player

side. I’m always going to side with

the player because I’m a player.

But I’m sure they’re going to han-

dle it the right way. Terry’s a guy

that you want to build a team

around. He represents everything

we want t o build here, s o I’m confi-

dent we’ll get something done.”

Wide receiver Curtis Samuel,

who was roommates with McLau-

rin at Ohio State and still refers to

him as a brother, said he has spo-

ken with McLaurin but wanted to

keep those conversations private.

“[The contract is] just some-

thing he got to take care of,” he

said. “I’m looking forward to

whenever he comes back, and I’m

wishing the best for him.”

Payne’s position

Payne, a 2018 first-round pick,

attended Tuesday’s workout and

participated in stretches with his

teammates but later went to the

side field. It’s plausible that, as he

enters the final year of his con-

tract, he opted to not take part in

on-field team work to lower his

risk of injury while workouts re-

main voluntary.

Payne rejoined the team in

meetings afterward, people with

knowledge of his situation said,

and he participated in weight

room workouts throughout the

first two phases of the offseason

program.

This season, Payne, who turns

25 this week, is slated to play on a

fifth-year o ption that comes with a

fully guaranteed $8.5 29 million

salary. He is in line to be an unre-

stricted free agent in March. His

future in Washington became pre-

carious when the team re-signed

fellow tackle Allen to a four-year

deal last summer.

Stadium target in Loudoun?

The Commanders are negotiat-

ing an option-to-purchase agree-

ment at Waterside, a planned de-

velopment of shops and offices in

Loudoun County, according to a

person w ith knowledge of the situ-

ation. The person a lso c onfirmed a

Washington Business Journal re-

port that the franchise made a

previous offer to acquire Water-

side, w hich i s now Loudoun Q uar-

ries, but that it was rejected by

Chantilly Crushed S tone, o wner of

the quarry.

Washington recently struck a

similar agreement with Wood-

bridge in Prince William County.

Rivera’s stadium wish list

Rivera said his only involve-

ment in the stadium search has

been to champion what he would

like in a new facility. He listed the

team’s extensive needs, including

office space, meeting rooms, an

equipment room, a training r oom,

a weight room and a locker room.

“Room. Lots of r oom,” he said of

his primary focus. “Seriously, be-

cause you run out of it very quick-

ly.... We’ve got to make it ad-

equate for our players.”

Rivera was asked whether he

thought putting a stadium in Vir-

ginia would alienate parts of the

fan base.

“If we go out and play hard and

play good football and win some

games, I don’t think it matters

where we are, as long as we’re in

the D MV,” h e said. “We’ll be able to

get our fan base back. And again,

we’ve got to do our part.”

Allen, who grew up i n Northern

Virginia and attended Stone

Bridge High in Ashburn, said he

would “love” a stadium in the area.

“I hope I’m here when the sta-

dium is finished,” he added.

Wentz takes the field

The six-year veteran threw his

first passes in a Commanders

practice j ersey Tuesday. He looked

poised despite the rain, and sev-

eral teammates, including Samu-

el, said they noticed his presence

and arm strength.

Near the end of practice, depth

cornerback Corn Elder made a

leaping i nterception o ver the m id-

dle — unofficially the first pick of

Wentz’s career i n Washington. Top

cornerback William Jackson III

grinned and joked that the de-

fense enjoyed welcoming Wentz.

“That was very important,” he

said. “That was a tone-setter right

there.”

No joint practice

The Commanders will not hold

joint practices this preseason, Ri-

vera said. The Commanders’ pre-

season schedule — vs. Carolina, at

Kansas City, a t Baltimore — will b e

their whole program.

Washington’s d eal to host train-

ing camp in Richmond expired

last year, which means it may

spend t he entire preseason i n Ash-

burn.

COMMANDERS NOTES

Absences are conspicuous at start of workouts

JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST

Quarterback Carson Wentz, acquired in an offseason trade with the Colts, threw his first passes in a Commanders jersey on a wet Tuesday.

McLaurin stays away,

Payne skips team drills,

and three can’t attend

BY VIN A. CHERWOO

new york — Andrew Copp had a

goal and two assists and Frank

Vatrano and Adam Fox each had a

goal and an assist as the New York

Rangers defeated the Carolina

Hurricanes, 4-1, in Game 4 on

Tuesday night at Madison Square

Garden, evening the second-

round series.

Mika Zibanejad also scored,

Ryan Lindgren had two assists

and Igor Shesterkin stopped 30

shots for the Rangers, who won

their fifth straight at home in the

postseason.

In t he s eries, New York won two

games at home after opening with

two losses at Carolina.

Te uvo Te ravainen scored and

Antti Raanta finished with 24

saves for the Hurricanes, who fell

to 0-5 on the road in the postsea-

son to go with their 6-0 mark at

home.

Game 5 is in Raleigh, N.C., on

Thursday night, with Game 6 at

Madison Square Garden on Satur-

day.

The Rangers have won two

straight against the Hurricanes

after losing eight of the previous

nine meetings, including a three-

game sweep in the qualifying

round of the 2020 playoff bubble

and three of four in the regular

season.

Te ravainen spoiled S hesterkin’s

shutout bid when he scored his

third goal of the playoffs at 6:33 of

the third off a pass from Sebastian

Aho, pulling the Hurricanes with-

in 3-1.

Copp restored the Rangers’

three-goal lead as he converted

from the right side off a pass from

Ryan Strome with just under nine

minutes remaining. It w as his fifth

of the playoffs.

There was more pushing and

shoving between players in the

closing seconds of the game, with

New York’s R yan Reaves and Caro-

lina’s Max Domi being separated

by officials as they exchanged

words.

— Associated Press

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

New York draws

even with latest

victory at home

RANGERS 4,

HURRICANES 1

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