Washington's Snyder vows culture change after misconduct report

Washington owner Dan Snyder vowed to establish a new culture after 15 former female employees detailed the toxic setting they worked in while employed by the team.

"The behavior described in (Thursday's) Washington Post article has no place in our franchise or society," Snyder said in a statement.

"This story has strengthened my commitment to setting a new culture and standard for our team, a process that began with the hiring of coach (Ron) Rivera earlier this year."

Snyder and his wife Tanya Snyder reportedly issued an apology to employees in a franchise-wide email Friday:

Fifteen women reported sexual harassment and/or verbal abuse from club executives in the aforementioned article. The employees said they were instructed to wear revealing clothes and flirt with clients to secure business deals, and that many were subjected to unwelcome sexual comments or advances.

Two female reporters also said they received unwanted advances from Alex Santos, who was the team's director of pro personnel.

Snyder and longtime president Bruce Allen were not accused of inappropriate behavior. However, many of the women interviewed for the story suspected they were aware of what was taking place.

"I would assume Bruce knew, because he sat 30 feet away from me ... and saw me sobbing at my desk several times every week," said Emily Applegate, who worked for Washington as a marketing coordinator in 2014 before leaving in 2015.

The accusations span from 2006-2019, covering the majority of Snyder's reign as owner.

Several women, including Applegate, said Washington had an understaffed human resources department, with one full-time worker responsible for over 220 employees.

Washington hired a law firm to review the organization before the article was published.

"Beth Wilkinson and her firm are empowered to do a full, unbiased investigation and make any and all requisite recommendations," Snyder said. "Upon completion of her work, we will institute new policies and procedures and strengthen our human resources infrastructure to not only avoid these issues in the future but, most importantly, create a team culture that is respectful and inclusive of all."

The NFL responded to the report Friday morning, calling the claims "disturbing" and pledging to take action based on Wilkinson's findings.