Fifteen former female employees of the Washington Redskins accused the National Football League (NFL) team’s ex-staff members of sexual misconduct, according to a report published in The Washington Post on Thursday.
The women claim that they were exposed to sexual harassment and verbal abuse at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Virginia, during the period of time when they were working for the club.
The incidents that include inappropriate remarks, along with pressure for wearing revealing clothes and flirting with clients allegedly took place between 2006 and 2019.
Two female journalists who covered the team also made similar accusations against former employees.
As part of its report, The Washington Post interviewed over 40 former and current employees.
The Redskins reportedly launched an internal investigation following the allegations. DC-based law firm Wilkinson Walsh has been retained by the team to review the issue.
The team told the Post in a statement that it takes issues of employee conduct seriously, adding “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.”
Alex Santos, director of pro personnel, and Richard Mann II, the Redskins’ assistant director of pro personnel, who were involved in the women’s sexual misconduct allegations, were fired over the weekend.
In addition, veteran play-by-play radio announcer and team chief content officer Larry Michael suddenly announced on Wednesday that he’s retiring after 16 seasons as “Voice of the Washington Redskins.”
The team did not respond to a request for comment by the Post about the retirement of Michael, who is also among the names mentioned in the newspaper’s investigation.
The NFL team has been at the center of attention due to a long-running controversy about its name. The organization announced on July 13 that it was dropping the name, which is considered a racial slur for Native Americans, following intense pressure from the public, local officials and sponsors.
“As part of this process, we want to keep our sponsors, fans and community apprised of our thinking as we go forward,” the team said in its statement on Monday. “Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review.”
The move came after major sponsors including FedEx, Nike, PepsiCo and Bank of America pushed the team to change its name.
Last week, Amazon said in a notice to its sellers that it was starting to pull Redskins merchandise from its online platform, giving them 48 hours to review and remove items featuring the team’s name or logo.
Amazon Withdraws Redskins Merchandise From Site Over Name Controversy