Last week, The New York Times published a deeply reported investigation alleging that Donald Trump personally intervened with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to have U.S. striker Folarin “Flo” Balogon’s red card suspended so he could play in the United States’ World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium.
Whether you’re a soccer fan or not almost doesn’t matter.
The allegation is what matters.
The President of the United States allegedly used the weight of his office to influence what should have been an independent disciplinary decision. And according to the report, it worked.
That’s not just a sports story. It’s also a workplace investigation story.
One of the quickest ways to undermine an internal investigation is for someone with power to signal what outcome they want before the facts have been gathered.
It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as a president calling the head of FIFA.
It can be the CEO who tells HR, “I know she’s lying.”
Or the founder who says, “He’s too valuable to lose.”
Or the executive who reminds everyone that the accused employee “has always been loyal to this company.”
Once that happens, the investigation isn’t really about finding the truth anymore. It’s about justifying a preferred outcome.
Employees notice.
Witnesses notice.
And if the matter ends up in litigation, juries notice too.
I’ve defended countless employment cases over the years. One theme appears over and over again: plaintiffs don’t just attack the employer’s decision. They also attack the integrity of the process that produced it.
They ask who made the decision.
Who influenced the decision.
Whether HR was actually independent.
Whether investigators interviewed the right witnesses.
Whether evidence that favored the employee was ignored.
Whether similarly situated employees were treated differently because someone important wanted a particular result.
Those questions matter because courts and juries understand something every workplace leader should understand: A fair process is often just as important as the ultimate decision.
When investigations appear predetermined, employers create problems that extend far beyond the individual case.
They lose credibility with employees.
They discourage people from reporting misconduct because they believe the outcome is already decided.
Managers stop trusting HR.
And in litigation, what might have been a defensible termination suddenly looks like retaliation, discrimination, favoritism, or pretext.
The legal issue often isn’t that someone with authority participated in the decision. Senior leaders are supposed to make important decisions.
The problem is when that authority becomes improper influence.
HR and investigators need enough independence to follow the evidence wherever it leads—even if the facts point in an uncomfortable direction or involve a high-performing executive, a rainmaker, or someone the CEO likes.
Good investigations don’t ask, “What outcome does leadership want?” They ask, “What actually happened?”
That’s the only question that protects the integrity of the process.
