When the allegedly independent investigation into the depths of the Washington Football team’s toxic workplace concluded this summer, the NFL’s suffocation of information had already been implemented.
Despite what was arguably the most serious and widespread probe in league history into a team’s internal environment, very little of it was papered. Or at the very least, papered in a way that could create the kind of historical record that often tangibly links the principal offenders to those who are charged with holding them responsible for their acts. Instead, the NFL determined that attorney Beth Wilkinson wasn’t required to produce a written report, choosing for commissioner Roger Goodell to hear the news through oral reports and verbal findings.