15 women accuse former Redskins employees of sexual harassment, abuse in Washington Post report
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Fifteen women allege sexual harassment and verbal abuse by former Washington football team employees at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Virginia, according to a Washington Post report released Thursday.
According to the report, the allegations include unwelcome comments of a sexual nature, and team executives pressuring female coworkers to wear revealing clothing and flirt with clients to close sales deals.
FOX 5 INSTAPOLL: Should Dan Snyder be forced to sell the Washington team over this latest scandal?
FOX 5 has learned Washington Post reporters spoke to more than 40 current and former employees amid its investigation.
The article names five people central to the report: Larry Michael, the former voice of the Redskins, Alex Santos, the former director of pro personnel, Richard Mann II, assistant to Santos, Dennis Greene, the former president of business operations, and Mitch Gershman, the team's former chief operating officer.
In 2018, according to six former employees, Larry Michael was caught on a “hot mic” talking about how attractive he thought a college-aged intern was.
Meanwhile, Alex Santos is being accused of grabbing and inappropriately touching at least two reporters for major publications. Richard Mann was found texting a female employee about her breasts. Dennis Greene implored women to wear tight dresses and to flirt with wealthy suite holders. The report also allegest that Mitch Gershman would commonly berate female employees for trivial issues, the report alleges.
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No woman accused team owner Daniel Snyder or former longtime team president Bruce Allen of inappropriate behavior with women, but many in the report expressed skepticism that the men were unaware of the behavior they allege.
In a phone interview, new team Coach Ron Rivera declined to discuss why Santos and Mann were dismissed.
"We’re trying to create a new culture here,” Rivera said. "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."
RELATED: Washington NFL team hires high-powered attorney to investigate team's culture
On Thursday, FOX 5 confirmed that the team has retained a high-profile attorney to investigate the team’s culture.
The confirmation that the team retained Beth Wilkinson to conduct “an independent review of the team’s culture, policies and allegations of workplace misconduct" arrived amid speculative reports regarding sexual misconduct and other allegations.
According to NFL.com, the league released the following statement early Friday. The statement was obtained by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport:
"These matters as reported are serious, disturbing and contrary to the NFL's values. Everyone in the NFL has the right to work in an environment free from any and all forms of harassment. Washington has engaged outside counsel to conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations. The club has pledged that it will give its full cooperation to the investigator and we expect the club and all employees to do so. We will meet with the attorneys upon the conclusion of their investigation and take any action based on the findings."