Virginia Gov. Urges NFL to Step in After 'Disturbing' Washington NFL Allegations

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam spoke out Friday after 15 women said they were sexually harassed by former staffers while working for the Washington NFL franchise under team owner Daniel Snyder. 

According to Mark Maske of the Washington Post, Northam called the allegations "serious and disturbing," and added, "[NFL] Commissioner [Roger] Goodell needs to step in and get to the bottom of this, and quickly."

Will Hobson and Liz Clarke of the Washington Post released the initial report Thursday, which detailed the women's allegations that they faced sexual harassment and verbal abuse from staffers that include men from Snyder's "inner circle."

Among those who had allegations levied against them are former Washington director of pro personnel Alex Santos, former assistant director of pro personnel Richard Mann II, former senior vice president Larry Michael, former president of business operations Dennis Greene and former chief operating officer Mitch Gershman.

Santos and Mann were fired from the organization and Michael abruptly retired all in the past week.

Per ESPN.com, the NFL released the following statement on the report Friday:

"These matters as reported are serious, disturbing and contrary to the NFL's values. Everyone in the NFL has the right to work in an environment free from any and all forms of harassment. Washington has engaged outside counsel to conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations. The club has pledged that it will give its full cooperation to the investigator and we expect the club and all employees to do so. We will meet with the attorneys upon the conclusion of their investigation and take any action based on the findings."

The women said former Washington staffers commented on the bodies of female employees and made unwanted advances toward them.

Washington released the following statement to the Washington Post: "The Washington [football team] takes issues of employee conduct seriously. While we do not speak to specific employee situations publicly, when new allegations of conduct are brought forward that are contrary to these policies, we address them promptly."

Washington has been in the news for other reasons recently as well, including its impending name change.

After receiving pressure from sponsors and Indigenous leaders and groups, Washington announced this week that it will retire its longstanding nickname and logo. Snyder and head coach Ron Rivera are currently working on a replacement.

ESPN's Adam Schefter also reported Thursday that a group of minority shareholders for the team are looking to vet buyers in order to sell their stake in the team.