Apologies for using the R-word in the headline. The Washington Post used it throughout their article, so it seemed fitting. I usually use “Washington Football Team” or “R-Words” for stories. But, hoo boy, this Redskins sexual harassment story is an exception. Anyway…
On Thursday afternoon, The Post dropped a bomb on Daniel Snyder’s D.C.-based football team. Their article, “From dream job to nightmare,” details the stories of sexual harassment and verbal abuse from 15 former team employees.
It’s bad. But it shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who read the 2018 New York Times story about team cheerleaders forced to do a topless photoshoot in front of team sponsors in Costa Rica. That story is almost as outrageous as this new one, and it’s amazing that not more came from that situation at the time.
We’ll cover some of the more damning details in this new story below, but I encourage everyone to read the complete article published by The Post today:
Daniel Snyder, the team’s owner, is clearly in some hot water here. He has already been working on replacing the team’s racist nickname after sponsors applied some financial pressure, and now he has yet another public relations nightmare on his hands.
While Snyder himself is not directly implicated in any of the claims of sexual harassment or verbal abuse, it is strongly insinuated that he and the organization were aware of the behavior. In fact, it feels like there was more to this story that might not have made this initial publication of the article due to some legal concerns. And it wouldn’t be a surprise to see an update or two from The Post in the coming days and weeks.
Now, let’s get into exactly what was reported in this story. These allegations run from 2006 to 2019, which is an astonishingly long time for this to 1. Have been happening and 2. Have been kept under wraps. That’s another bad look for Snyder.
Emily Applegate
15 former female Washington R-Words employees told The Washington Post they were sexually harassed during their time at the club. Emily Applegate is the only one who put her name on the story. The other 14 remained anonymous out of fear of “litigation because some signed nondisclosure agreements with the team that threaten legal retribution if they speak negatively about the club.”
Applegate’s decision to include her name here is incredibly important. Without her, this story is about “15 anonymous women” who make claims against their former employer. With Applegate, it’s “Applegate and 14 other women.” That might sound like a minor difference, but it isn’t.
It is also worth noting, however, that reporters Rhiannon Walker and Nora Princiotti were brave enough to tell their stories and include their names. And that is not to say the other 14 women aren’t brave for not including their names. They have a right to privacy and are justifiably afraid of millionaires and billionaires and what is probably a confusing and sketchy non-disclosure agreement with the club.
Applegate gives the story a name, a face, and more legitimacy, even if it shouldn’t need more than it would have otherwise had. Also, given what we know about Dan Snyder and the R-Words, does this at all surprise you:
Oh, and Snyder was actively firing people and making front office changes while The Post updated him on their story, all while declining to comment himself:
The Men Accused of Harassment
- Larry Michael—senior vice president of content and “the voice of the Washington Redskins.” He allegedly routinely and openly discussed the physical appearances of young female colleagues. In 2018, he was caught discussing the attractiveness of an intern (someone approximately 40 years younger than him) on a “hot mic.” Michael abruptly retired on Wednesday and declined an interview. The Washington Post published an additional story specifically about Larry Michael on Friday.
- Alex Santos—the club’s director of pro personnel. Accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct by six former employees and two reporters (!) who covered the team. Santos is married with three kids and definitely comes off as the creepiest and douchiest in this story. Santos was fired this week and declined to comment.
- Richard Mann II—assistant director of pro personnel. Sent a series of incredibly creepy texts to female colleagues in which he “debated whether her breasts had been surgically enhanced and in another text message told another female employee to expect an ‘inappropriate hug … And don’t worry that will be a stapler in my pocket.'” Like Santos, Mann was fired this week and declined to comment.
- Dennis Greene—former president of business operations. He told “female sales staff to wear low-cut blouses, tight skirts, and flirt with wealthy suiteholders.” Oh, and remember that New York Times story mentioned above about the topless cheerleader photoshoot? Greene is the one who sold access to that event as part of premium suite packages. He also used to line cheerleaders up and hand-pick which ones would accompany him to suites, where he would encourage them to drink and flirt. He resigned in 2018.
- Mitch Gershman—former chief operating officer. He allegedly berated Applegate over trivial issues while simultaneously complimenting her body on a regular basis. He left the team in 2015.
- Daniel Snyder—owner. I have seen a few tweets and stories going around that claim Snyder wasn’t mentioned in The Post’s story. That isn’t quite true. He isn’t alleged to have directly harassed any women, but he IS implicated:
While Applegate and others did not accuse Snyder of acting improperly with women, they blamed him for an understaffed human resources department and what they viewed as a sophomoric culture of verbal abuse among top executives that they believed played a role in how those executives treated their employees.
Snyder routinely belittled top executives, according to three former members of his executive staff, perhaps most intensely Greene, the former sales executive, whom Snyder mocked for having been a cheerleader in college. After one executive staff meeting, according to one former employee, Greene said Snyder had ordered him to do cartwheels for their entertainment.
The Initial Responses
In the coming days, more and more responses to The Washington Post Redskins story will come out. The NFL released an initial statement on Friday morning. It was…an iPhone note shared on social media by an NFL Network reporter?
Bizarre.
This essentially says very little. It’s worth noting that Roger Goodell works for the owners, so these team punishment situations are always tricky. Team owners usually stick together until they absolutely can’t anymore, and they aren’t going to want severe punishments (especially if they know anything similar might be happening in their own buildings).
Not to be outdone, Daniel Snyder released a statement that was slightly more professional and official. No team letterhead, but it at least looks like it was typed on a computer. His was shared by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Twitter:
Reading between the lines, I think the translation here is something like:
“Blah blah blah, we take this seriously and are very surprised and definitely didn’t know this was all happening for the last 15 years. We are paying someone to do an investigation that is definitely unbiased even though we, the club, are paying them. Once that investigation is complete, we will double our HR department to TWO people and consider this matter closed.”
More to come. Maybe?
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