Former Washington employees allege sexual harassment
Fifteen women who were once employees for Washington’s NFL team told The Washington Post in a story published Thursday that they were sexually harassed during their tenures with the club.
The Post’s report details dozens of instances of alleged sexual harassment and verbal abuse, citing interviews with more than 40 current and former employees, including the 15 women, as well as text messages and internal company documents. The allegations, which span from 2006 through 2019, primarily include inappropriate sexual comments, unwelcome overtures and pressure to wear revealing clothing.
Fourteen of the women spoke with The Post anonymously out of fear of litigation, after many signed nondisclosure agreements upon leaving the team. The Post said it asked the team to release the employees from such agreements so they could speak openly, but the team declined. Emily Applegate, a now 31-yearold who worked in Washington’s marketing department from 2014-15, spoke openly about her experiences.
Among those accused of sexual harassment or verbal abuse, per The Post, are former longtime radio announcer Larry Michael, former director of pro personnel Alex Santos, assistant director of pro personnel Richard Mann, former president of business operations Dennis Greene and former chief operating officer Mitch Gershman. Michael abruptly announced his retirement on Wednesday, and Santos and Mann were fired earlier this week after tenures of more than 10 years with the team.
Team owner Daniel Snyder was not accused of misconduct with women, per The Post, although several former employees said the team’s small human resources department and overall culture fostered an environment in which misconduct was not punished. Snyder was accused of belittling top executives, including mocking Greene for his time as a male cheerleader in college.
Snyder declined interview requests from The Post, and all other accused employees also declined comment. The team has hired attorney Beth Wilkinson to review the club’s internal culture amid allegations of workplace misconduct.
72 PLAYERS TEST POSITIVE >> NFL players union president JC Tretter is growing fearful the league prioritizing normalcy over player safety reduces the chances of a 2020 season. An NFLPA memo reported 72 players tested positive for the coronavirus as of July 10.
The union included a “heat map” where known COVID-19 cases are growing in number. The state of Florida includes three of the top four “hotspots” which are defined by the 14day average of daily positive tests per 100,000 residents. Miami is first, Jacksonville is third and Tampa Bay is fourth. Arizona, which includes the Tempe to Glendale region and Phoenix, is second.
The lowest-risk regions are New England (Patriots),
New York (Giants, Jets) and Buffalo followed by Detroit, Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Seattle.
REPORT: COVID-19 LIST WOULD INCLUDE FULL PAY >> The NFL plans to create a COVID-19 classification under the injured reserve umbrella that would give players who test positive for the coronavirus full pay and the chance to return in as few as three weeks, Pro Football Talk reported.
According to the report, a player who tests positive would be placed on the COVID-19 list and not count against the active roster, allowing the team to add another player. The positive player would be paid as normal and remain on the list for at least three weeks before being eligible to practice.
After the initial threeweek period, the player would have to return to the active roster within three more weeks or else revert to injured reserve for the rest of the season. ESPN reported that the NFLPA had concerns about how the NFL would classify players who tested positive.