The first African-American quarterback to be inducted into the pro-football Hall of Fame is accused of making his assistant sleep in his bed on business trips, forcing her to wear only lingerie when alone with him and of drugging her drink, according to a bombshell new lawsuit. The suit was filed against Warren Moon, 61, in Orange County, California, on December 4 by sports reporter Wendy Haskell, 32. According to Haskell’s LinkedIn page, she began working for Sports 1 Marketing, a company co-owned by Moon, in July 2017. The business is based in Irvine, California. Haskell’s lawsuit says that her role at the company including running errands for Moon, traveling with him on business trips and organizing his appearances.
Haskell alleges that when she complained about Moon’s behavior to company CEO David Meltzer, she was demoted. According to Sports 1 Marketing’s official website, Meltzer and Moon, best known for his time with the Houston Oilers in the NFL, began the company in 2010. The company’s website says, “Since 2010, we have utilized our situational knowledge to be statistically successful in everything we do. We are able to bring the right people to our projects to attract more of the right people. This elevates the awareness and exposure of the project thereby allowing us to maximize its monetization in order to make a lot of money, help a lot of people, and have a lot of fun!”
As a result of the allegations, the Seattle Seahawks released a statement saying Moon has been given leave as the club’s radio analyst.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Haskell Says She Was Told to Comply With Moon’s Requests in Order to Keep Her Job
In the lawsuit, Haskell said that she was ordered to comply with Moon’s bizarre requests in order to keep her job. One particular case details a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in October 2017. Haskell said that after sipping a drink, she began to feel strange. Haskell said in the lawsuit she asked Moon if he had put something in her drink, and claimed the hall of famer said that he had. Haskell says Moon told her he spiked the drink “because he thought she was not having fun.”
Haskell said prior to that trip she had already brought her concerns about Moon to company CEO David Meltzer. She said Meltzer told her that after the Cabo trip, her position at the company would change. Also prior to the Cabo trip, Haskell said an email had been sent to female employees who were attending the trip saying they were required to wear “neon G-strings.” In addition, the message said that anyone breaking the dress code would be subjected to severe penalties.
On another occasion, Haskell said that she had been forced to share a bed with Moon on a trip. She awoke in the middle of the night to find Moon’s hand on her genitals. The lawsuit says that she yelled, “No,” but that Moon forced her to allow him sleep with his hand on her buttocks.
Speaking to the Washington Post, Haskell’s Miami-based lawyer, Diana Fitzgerald, said that Haskell never went to the police with her claims because she was “scared.” Fitzgerald also said, “She was expecting to further her career in the sports marketing industry. She had no idea that her job duties were going to involve that kind of personal protocol.”
Read the full lawsuit here:
2. Haskell Is a Doctor of Physical Therapy
Facebook/Wendy Haskell
On her LinkedIn page, Haskell says she obtained a doctorate of physical therapy from the State University of New York at Buffalo, graduating in 2009. While at the school, Haskell played for the school’s Division 1 volleyball team. Haskell’s degree was in exercise science. Haskell previously went to Clarence High School in Buffalo. During those years, Haskell was a gymnast, dancer, basketball player and ran track.
Facebook/Wendy Haskell
Between May 2013 and February 2016, Haskell worked as a therapist for Kiwi Physical Therapy in New York City. From there, Haskell worked at the U.S. Athletic training center, also in New York City, between October 2014 and October 2016. During that time Haskell worked as a color commentator for the Time Warner Cable Sports Channel, primarily covering the Buffalo Bills. On her official website, her bio says, “Her medical and athletic backgrounds have made her a unique talent in that she is able to discuss and analyze injuries with in-depth knowledge from both sides.”
3. Haskell Spent Time as a Player in the Lingerie Football League
According to a 2010 feature in the American Airlines Skymall magazine, Haskell spent time playing in the Lingerie Football League in 2009 for the Miami Caliente. In a bio, Haskell wrote that she “ran a spread offense” while playing in the league.
American Airlines
Haskell was appearing in the Sky Mall magazine in conjunction with Evel Knievel Cycles out of Pittsburgh. At the time, Haskell was working as a physical therapist in Miami for Polestar Pilates International. Haskell appeared in the photo shoot along with Ms. Pennsylvania 2009, Gina Cerilli.
Tumblr/Wendy Haskell
Other photos on Haskell’s Tumblr page show that she has done modeling in the past for Buffalo Fashion Week and for Mercedes Benz.
4. Haskell Is an ‘Orphan Advocate’
On her Instagram bio, Haskell describes herself as an “orphan advocate.”
In 2016, Haskell issued a plea to her fans via her Tumblr page asking for donations to help her to travel on a humanitarian mission to Haiti. At the time, Haskell was working for the charity I’m Me. The charity’s motto is “On a mission to end the orphan cycle.” The charity says it aims to “bring the sustaining and empowering structure of family to the orphans of the world through care, prevention, and stewardship.”
Along with her orphan advocacy, she adds on Instagram, “Smiling is my favorite.”
Haskell writes in the about section of her Tumblr blog, “As I have gone along my journey in this crazy thing we call life, I have realized that the impact you can make on others by being a caring and compassionate person, and showing love for others is bigger than what degree you have, what you do for a living, or even who you know.” In addition to her orphan work, Haskell’s Zocdoc profile says she “is very involved with charity work for a number of volunteer organizations, including I’m Me Foundation, Jim Kelly’s Kelly for Kids Foundation, and The Steadfast Foundation’s Catwalk for Charity.”
Twitter/Wendy HaskellIn June 2017, Haskell took this photo of a light plane crash. The picture was picked up by and published by the Associated Press, CBS and the Daily Mail.
5. In 1995, Moon Was Sued by a Minnesota Cheerleader Who Accused Him of Offering Her Money for Sex
Moon was accused in May 1995 of offering a Minnesota Vikings cheerleader money in exchange for sex. At the time, Moon was playing for the team. That case was settled out of court. While in July of the same year, Moon was arrested in Texas after his then-wife accused him of hitting and choking her. His then-wife, Felicia Moon, did not press charges while Moon told the media that the couple had merely had an argument. After charges were laid by police in Texas, Felicia testified that she had started the argument, reported People Magazine. Moon was acquitted. The couple would divorce in 2001.
In 2005, Moon remarried Mandy Ritter in Hawaii, reported the Seattle Times at the time.
