Former Washington Redskins employees allege sexual harassment by executives
15 women allege sexual harassment and verbal abuse; insight from reporter Dax Holt.
Washington NFL franchise owner Dan Snyder issued a statement Friday morning about his “strengthened” commitment to bettering the organization's culture following a report on Thursday in which 15 former female employees alleged that they were sexually harassed while working for the Redskins.
Snyder issued a statement addressing a Washington Post story that detailed allegations of unwelcomed overtures, comments of a sexual nature and exhortations to wear revealing clothing and flirt with clients to close sales deals. Only one employee spoke on the record while 14 others were bound by non-disclosure agreements that the team refused to release them from.
15 FEMALE EX-REDSKINS EMPLOYEES ALLEGE SEXUAL HARASSMENT, BOMBSHELL REPORT SAYS
“The behavior described in yesterday's Washington Post article has no place in our franchise or society,” Snyder’s statement began.
“This story has strengthened my commitment to setting a new culture and standard for our team, a process that began with the hiring of Coach [Ron] Rivera earlier this year.”
Rivera has long said that he intended to change the culture of the team upon his arrival — a message that held more value following Thursday’s report.
“We’re trying to create a new culture here,” he told the Post. “We’re hoping to get people to understand that they need to judge us on where we are and where we’re going – as opposed to where we’ve been.”
“Biggest thing is that we have to move forward from this and make sure everybody understands we have policies that we will follow and that we have an open-door policy with no retribution,” Rivera later told ESPN. "Plus my daughter works for the team and I sure as hell am not going to allow any of this.”
Snyder hired a local law firm to review the team’s culture and conduct, which he said will allow the team to implement new policies and procedures.
“Beth Wilkinson and her firm are empowered to do a full, unbiased investigation and make any and all requisite recommendations,” his statement read. “Upon completion of her work, we will institute new policies and procedures and strengthen our human resources infrastructure to not only avoid these issues in the future but most importantly create a team culture that is respectful and inclusive of all.”
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The NFL released its own statement Friday morning stating that the league plans to “action” based on the investigation’s findings: “These matters as reported are serious, disturbing and contrary to the NFL’s values.”
Fox News' Daniel Canova and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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