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The Washington Football Team, formerly known as the Washington Redskins, are a historic franchise, with three super bowl victories, and multiple Hall of Fame players. However, in the past decade, multiple employees have had alleged racist, sexist, and misogynistic behavior, along with accusations for team medical mismanagements, and claims of toxic workplace conditions. The team has also been plagued with a series of losses. At the forefront of this is the team’s owner, Dan Snyder, who has been labeled as the cause of these problems.
A professional football team’s priority should be to protect its players and secure them financially. However, they failed to do so. Former Washington star offensive tackle and current 49ers tackle Trent Williams alleges that doctors mismanaged a cancerous tumor on his head. In 2013, Williams, who was 25 years old, had a small bump on his head. Doctors for the WFT ran tests and concluded that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Six years later, the growth on his head had grown. Williams was diagnosed with Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP), a rare form of cancer. His doctors found the cancer just weeks before it would have moved to his brain, proving fatal. He had to undergo three surgeries, where part of his skull was removed.
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“I almost lost my life,” Williams said in 2019, visibly emotional. Williams risked leaving behind a young family. This sparked him to hold out of Washington’s 2019 season, due to his contract extension reasons, and Washington’s appalling maladministration. Williams was eventually traded to San Francisco before the 2020 season, and he received a 6 year, 138 million dollar contract extension.
Over the past decade, Snyder has created an unsuitable workplace for his employees. In recent years, 15 of WFT’s former cheerleaders have accused their bosses of sexual misconduct. One of the cheerleaders alleged that former vice president Larry Michael told employees to “collect ‘lewd outtakes’ from a video of the cheerleader’s 2008 calendar shoot” in an interview to Bleacher Report. Another former employee, Susan Miller, accused Snyder of “treating women like servants,” which lead to her resignation. Even some men alleged sexism. Former quarterback Robert Griffin III, who played in Washington from 2012-2015, revealed he was sexually harrassed by staff members. Griffin will release his memoir, Surviving Washington, in July 2022. The cheerleaders, Mr. Griffin, and Miss Miller were part of the organization during team president Bruce Allen’s tenure (2009-2019). Snyder pledged to conduct a full organizational investigation, with Congress and the NFL getting involved.
This past year, emails were leaked between former coach Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen. Gruden’s email contained racist and homophobic remarks about NFLPA (National Football League’s Player’s Association) president DeMaurice Smith, mocking his lips as the “size of Michelin Tires,” and calling him a “faggot”. These emails are a miniscule fraction of 650,000 emails collected from the Washington Football Team. Gruden, who had coached the Raiders from 2018, was fired in October. Gruden has since apologized for his actions, but reports allege he plans to sue the NFL for being a “fall guy” for the Washington scandal, as his emails were the only ones made public.
This problem goes way beyond Jon Gruden, however. The main cause of the situation is Dan Snyder, who has enabled and participated in inappropriate, toxic, and unprofessional behavior. Snyder has been responsible for Washington’s poor success on the gridiron, which stemmed from the issues he caused within the organization. Snyder should be forced to sell the franchise to a responsible owner who is committed to ending sexual harrassment in the organizations and creating a safe workplace. Mismanaging a player’s health and almost causing his death is also a very serious red flag. Under his ownership, Washington has been reduced to a pitiful state for the past decade, both on and off the field.
However, Washington has a small glimmer of hope in turning the franchise around. Before the 2020 season, Washington hired coach Ron Rivera, a reputable coach who took the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2015, and has been well-liked by his players and assistant coaches alike. Rivera battled squamous cell cancer during the 2020 season, while leading Washington to a 7-9 record and a division title for the NFC East. This displays progress, showing that Rivera is committed to the success of an organization, even while battling a serious health condition. We applaud Rivera for his achievements, and hope his success will turn the franchise around.
The Washington Football Team scandal, however, teaches fans like us very valuable lessons. The cheerleaders’, Griffin’s, and Miller’s stories teaches us to never be afraid to speak out whenever you are in a toxic workplace, and you should never feel ashamed to speak out if you are sexually harrassed or assaulted. People are going to listen to you and take these allegations seriously. Gruden’s firing teaches us to not make hurtful remarks in a fit of anger, no matter the situation. One bad comment can ruin one’s life for good. Hopefully, this situation will be solved soon, with everyone getting the justice they deserve.