The NFL organization in Washington faces more scrutiny just days after it announced it will rename its team.
A total of 15 former Redskins employees tell Will Hobson and Liz Clarke of The Washington Post that they have been sexually harassed during their time with the club. 14 of the 15 women remain anonymous with only Emily Applegate speaking to the Post. Applegate worked for the team as a Marketing Coordinator for just one year.
“It was the most miserable experience of my life,” said Applegate, who left the franchise in 2015. “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.”
Redskins’ Training Camp Deemed “Hotbed of Improper Activity”
Training camp in Richmond was deemed a “hotbed of improper activity”, according to several women speaking with The Post. Younger females were encouraged to stay away from a local bar and restaurant (The Tabacco Company) that was frequently visited by executives of the team.
“I was propositioned basically every day at training camp,” said one female employee who worked for the team in the mid-2010s for several years.
The franchise has hired DC attorney Beth Wilkinson to review the organization’s protocols. The review was announced prior to The Washington Post article being released, though speculation of this barrel of incriminating news spread throughout the week and several former players, including Josh Norman, were not surprised that the organization was under fire, as Pro Football Action relayed.
Details About Alex Santo’s Firing
Another event that has drawn scrutiny is the annual NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis where former director of pro personnel Alex Santos allegedly harassed Rhiannon Walker, who is a reporter from The Athletic. The Washington Post recaps the incident.
Santos approached, she said, and the conversation started innocently. He showed her photos of his wife and young daughters on his phone, Walker recalled, reading from notes she later provided to her company’s lawyers describing the incident. Then Santos told Walker she had “worn the f—” out of her jeans the day before, she said, and asked if she would date him, if they were single.
“I told him that I do have a girlfriend, and he does have a wife, so we don’t need to play hypotheticals here,” Walker said. “I was pretty blunt.”
Santos kept attempting to flirt for several minutes and told Walker he would “wear me down with his charm,” she recalled. Then he pinched her on the hip, in full view of other team employees and reporters, she said. Walker felt humiliated, she recalled, and concerned some people who saw what had happened would think she had welcomed the attention.
“It felt like pretty much the worst thing in the world,” Walker said. “He didn’t care. He thought it was funny.”
That incident wasn’t the only one from Santos. He also allegedly harassed former Washington Times reporter. “He told me I had a great ass for a little white girl,” Nora Princiotti said. “The general sentiment was that I should wear less clothing.”
Like Walker, Princiotti said she was struck by how brazenly Santos acted, as well as other team employees who commented on her looks. Princiotti said one male member of the communications staff once told her she had a nickname around Redskins Park: “Princihottie.”
“It was gross and also just a terrible pun,” she said. “There was an overwhelming sense that no one would ever do anything about this stuff.”
Santos was fired last week along with his assistant of player personnel Richard Mann II. Mann also faces sexual assault claims, as we previously detailed.
More on the NFL:
Dan Snyder Not Among Those Accused of Sexual Misconduct
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Washington’s Training Camp Deemed ‘Hotbed of Improper Activity’