NFL: Dan Snyder will not testify in Congress

A lawyer representing Dan Snyder has told Congress that the Washington Commanders owner will not testify at a hearing next week as part of an investigation into the team’s conduct in the workplace.

Attorney Karen Patton Seymour sent a letter to leaders of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday, explaining why Snyder declined the June 22 invitation to appear.

Among the reasons given were a lack of certainty about the scope of the questioning, given the multiple investigations underway, and a scheduling conflict preventing Snyder from appearing in person.

Seymour wrote that Snyder “is unable to accept the committee’s invitation to testify” at the hearing, which the committee called the next step in the investigation.

The goal is to examine how the NFL deals with allegations of workplace misconduct and how it sets and enforces standards for all teams.

“Mr. Snyder remains fully prepared to assist the committee in its investigation,” Seymour wrote in the letter to Chair Carolyn B. Maloney and Consumer and Economic Policy Subcommittee Chair Raja Krishnamoorthi.

A committee spokeswoman said the hearing is expected to continue as scheduled, and there will be a response to the letter from Snyder’s camp.

It is unclear what will happen to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, also invited to testify.

A league spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message about Goodell’s intentions.

Seymour said the committee failed to allay concerns about what topics would be covered, citing investigations by former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White on behalf of the NFL and prosecutors generals of Virginia and the District of Columbia.

“While the committee indicated that the hearing would be ‘focused on’ historical issues of workplace culture, I was advised that the committee would provide no assurance that questions directed to Mr. Snyder would be limited to these issues, given the wide latitude given to members to ask questions beyond the topics identified by the committee,” she wrote.

Congress launched an investigation into the team’s work culture after a league-supervised independent review resulted in a $10 million fine, but did not include a written report to be made public.