LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — The National Football League is taking over the internal investigation into sexual assault harassment allegations within the Washington Football Team's operations.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport broke the news, saying the NFL wants "to ensure the further independence of the investigation."
The allegations were first broken by the Washington Post earlier this summer, and came on the heels of the team abandoning its controversial logo and nickname, which had been used since 1933.
Fifteen women say they were sexually harassed and verbally abused while they worked for Washington's NFL team over the last 15 years, according to the Post's reporting.
Three of the employees with allegations made against them abruptly resigned or were fired, including longtime radio broadcaster Larry Michael, who retired, and the team’s director of pro personnel, Alex Santos, who was fired.
"The behavior described in [the] Washington Post article has no place in our franchise or society," Snyder wrote at the time about the allegations. "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 Rivera earlier this year."
After the allegations, Dan Snyder also spoke about opening an independent investigation into the allegations.
Snyder discussed the organization's decision to retain Beth Wilkinson, a high profile D.C. attorney, to look into the team's culture and practices.
Following the release of the allegations, Derrius Guice, a former Washington running back plagued by injuries, was arrested on domestic assault charges and sexual assault allegations were brought against him from multiple women who attended college with him at Louisiana State University (LSU).