Less than a week after announcing they will drop the Redskins nickname after 87 years, Washington's NFL franchise has been plunged into turmoil after The Washington Post published a lengthy expose on Thursday in which former executives were accused of sexual harassment and verbal abuse.
Fifteen female former Washington NFL team employees spoke to The Post—all but one on conditions of anonymity—and detailed an alleged culture of malpractice and harassment that ran unchallenged between 2006 and 2019.
The Post interviewed over 40 current and former employees for its investigation and obtained several text messages sent by former team executives, which corroborate the claims by the 15 women who came forward.
While franchise owner Dan Snyder is not among the accused, the report paints a damning picture of the culture within the organization, detailing how women who worked for the team "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."
Here's a breakdown of the main accusations contained in the Post's report and of what we know about Washington sexual harassment scandal.
What allegations does Washington face?
The Washington Post report contains several serious allegations against a host of the franchise's most high-profile former employees. The claims range from sexual harassment to verbal abuse and span a 13-year period between 2006 and 2019.
The 15 former female franchise who spoke to The Post allege, among other things, that they received unsolicited overtures, that their bodies were commented on and that members of the sales staff were encouraged to wear revealing clothing and flirt with suite holders.
"It was the most miserable experience of my life," Emily Applegate, the only former Washington female employee named in the report, was quoted as saying of the toxic culture in the organization. "And we all tolerated it because we knew if we complained—and they reminded us of this— there were 1,000 people out there who would take our job in a heartbeat."
Has Washington owner Dan Snyder been accused of anything?
No. There are no allegations against neither Snyder nor Bruce Allen, the former Washington general manager who was fired at the end of last season after 10 years with the franchise. The Post noted Snyder and Allen both declined requests for an interview.
Which Washington employees are accused?
Former director of pro personnel Alex Santos, former assistant director of pro personnel Richard Mann II and radio play-by-play announcer and vice president Larry Michael are among those mentioned in the report. The trio have all left the franchise within the last week.
The latter, according to The Post, was part of Snyder's "inner circle" along with former CEO Mitch Gershman and former president of business operations Dennis Greene, who resigned in 2018 after it emerged he had sold access to Redskins cheerleaders. A host of other unnamed trainers and employees are also mentioned in the report.
Six former employees and two reporters who covered the team have accused Santos, who was fired last week, of commenting about their bodies and making unwelcome remarks to them. According to text messages obtained by The Post, Mann, who was also fired last week, shared with a female employee a conversation he had with his colleagues about whether she had undergone breast enhancement surgery.
What has the team said in response to the report?
"The Washington Redskins football team takes issues of employee conduct seriously," the team said in a statement to The Post. "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."
Ron Rivera, who was appointed head coach in January, vowed the culture within the organization will change.
"[The] 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," he was quoted as saying by ESPN. "Plus my daughter works for the team and I sure as hell am not going to allow any of this."
The NFL is yet to publicly comment on the matter.
