From dream job to nightmare

[Dennis Donovan]

Source: WaPo

From dream job to nightmare

More than a dozen women allege sexual harassment and verbal abuse by former team employees at Redskins Park

By Will Hobson and Liz Clarke

JULY 16, 2020

A few months after Emily Applegate started working for the Washington Redskins in 2014, she settled into a daily routine: She would meet a female co-worker in the bathroom during their lunch breaks, she said, to commiserate and cry about the frequent sexual harassment and verbal abuse they endured.

They cried about the former chief operating officer’s expletive-laced tirades, Applegate said, when she recalled him calling her “f-----g stupid” and then requesting she wear a tight dress for a meeting with clients, “so the men in the room have something to look at.” They cried about a wealthy suiteholder who grabbed her friend’s backside during a game, Applegate said, and the indifference the team’s top sales executive displayed when she complained.

But most of all, Applegate said, they cried about the realization their dream job of working in the NFL came with what they characterized as relentless sexual harassment and verbal abuse that was ignored — and, in some cases, condoned — by top team executives.

Applegate is one of 15 former female Redskins employees who told The Washington Post they were sexually harassed during their time at the club. The other 14 women spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing a fear of litigation because some signed nondisclosure agreements with the team that threaten legal retribution if they speak negatively about the club. The team declined a request from The Post to release former female employees from these agreements so they could speak on the record without fear of legal reprisal. This story involved interviews with more than 40 current and former employees and a review of text messages and internal company documents.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/07/16/redskins-sexual-harassment-larry-michael-alex-santos/

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Sorry for the scant headline, but rules are rules...

[Freethinker65]

1. NDAs being used to protect the wealthy and powerful from exposing their abusive behaviors

That is abusing the purpose of the NDA. It should be unenforceable.

I can understand protecting trade and business secrets with an NDA.

[groundloop]

2. Yes, this is total bullshit. NDA's are meant to protect trade secrets, NOT criminal behavior.

I'd think any team executive who tried to enforce those NDAs would be laughed out of court. However, just the threat of litigation is enough to keep most people 'in line'.

[Julian English]

3. Report: Beth Wilkinson Hired to Review Washington NFL Team's Culture

Report: Beth Wilkinson Hired to Review Washington NFL Team's Culture

The Washington football team has hired attorney Beth Wilkinson to review the team's protocols and "conduct a deep dive into the organization's past culture," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

It comes after Director of Pro Personnel Alex Santos and Assistant Director of Pro Personnel Richard Mann II were both fired earlier this week, per Ben Standig and Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic. Both front office executives had been with the organization for over 10 years.

(snip)

Wilkinson will now have a role in the organization after a long career in Washington D.C. as a defense attorney. She worked within the U.S. Justice Department and recently took part in notable cases involving Brett Kavanaugh and Michael Flynn.

[Auggie]

4. It starts with the owner and filters down ...

not to suggest Snyder is guilty of sexual harassment, just really bad at being a boss.

[relayerbob]

5. Sad, disgusting and not in the least surprising

This is football, after all. I'm sure this is a very common occurrence. One more reason that I don't watch

[bucolic_frolic]

6. It really is a lot of hype

brawn, muscle, conflict by the men ... cheerleaders in scanty uniforms. If the men were all 5-7 150 and the women wore sweats, the fans would all stay home, and so would the networks.

[Tommymac]

7. Not So. A lot of us love the sport.

I am a Steelers fan...no cheerleaders, no band, just football. And they are one of the most followed teams in Professional Sports.

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Football, when coached properly, builds character...and just like any other profession, doctors, actors, models, politicians, cops, and accountants - there are creeps and evildoers involved.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Kick - it is a shame the WP gave this such a meaningless headline

I prefer Lawyers, Guns and Money's:

THE DANIEL SNYDER SEXUAL HARASSMENT INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

Team owner Daniel Snyder declined several requests for an interview. Over the past week, as The Post presented detailed allegations and findings to the club, three team employees accused of improper behavior abruptly departed, including Larry Michael, the club’s longtime radio voice, and Alex Santos, the team’s director of pro personnel.

And let’s be clear that this is the result of organizational defects that hang on Snyder 100% whether or not he was directly involved with the harassment:

The team’s human resources staff consists of one full-time staffer — who also performs administrative duties at team headquarters — responsible for more than 220 full-time employees, according to several former employees.

“There’s no HR,” said one former veteran female employee who left in 2019. “And there was never a reporting process, nor was one explained to new employees about how you should report something.”

Not that I think Goodell and the other orders will force Snyder out even so, but I hope that the week of hints and rumors that preceded this won’t diminish what should be a big story.

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2020/07/the-daniel-snyder-sexual-harassment-industrial-complex

[obamanut2012]

9. NDAs can be broken if they are contracted to cover up a crime

or illegal behavior. Which this is.

UGH.