Getty Images Washington Redskins owner Dan Synder
The Washington football team continues to be in the news and while the club is getting a new name and logo, the major looming story is not about that.
The buzz about an incriminating article continues to grow with various media members tweeting out about a potential bombshell that was set to drop. Details were slow to emerge but we know that lawyers were getting involved, as Pro Football Action relayed. Now, we know a bit more about the potential scandal.
The franchise has hired District of Columbia attorney Beth Wilkinson to review the organization’s protocols, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Washington’s NFL team hired DC attorney Beth Wilkinson to review the organization’s protocols, per league sources. While Wilkinson is expected to conduct a deep dive into the organization’s past culture, team officials are highly upset/frustrated about speculation running amok.
Schefter also confirmed the rumored article from The Washington Post will indeed highlight the current culture within the franchise.
The franchise recently fired their director of pro personnel Alex Santos and assistant pro personnel Richard Mann II. They have since been replaced. The team added former Redskins tight end Don Warren as the assistant director of pro personnel, which brought some excitement to fans. However, perhaps details surrounding the dismal of Santos and Mann may put a blanket on any kind of enthusiasm for the organization.
Potential Ownership Change in Washington?
While it’s too early to tell if the looming news will force majority owner Dan Synder to sell the team, his minority stakeholders are looking for a way out.
Dwight Schar, Fred Smith and Robert Rothman are the three investors who own 40% of the team and they are not pleased with something going on in the organization, according to Pro Football Talk.
Synder, who resides in Potomac, Maryland, bought the Redskins back in 1999, spending $750 million to do so. According to Forbes, the franchise is now worth $3.4 billion.
Past History of Unprofessional Behavior
Back in 2018, there were reports of unacceptable protocols by the franchise when the Redskins took their cheerleaders to Costa Rica for a photoshoot.
There was a red flag immediately upon arrival. The team collected the cheerleaders’ passports, which in many cases was the women’s only identifications. According to Juliet Macur of The New York Times, many of the women said they were required to be topless for shoots even though the calendar would not show nudity.
The team reportedly allowed a group of sponsors and suite holders (all men) to access the photoshoot and get up close to the cheerleaders. At the conclusion of one of the 14-hour days, the women were told that there was more work to be done, as Macur details.
They had a special assignment for the night. Some of the male sponsors had picked them to be personal escorts at a nightclub.
“So get back to your room and get ready,” the director told them. Several of them began to cry.
“They weren’t putting a gun to our heads, but it was mandatory for us to go,” one of the cheerleaders said. “We weren’t asked, we were told. Other girls were devastated because we knew exactly what she was doing.”
Sex was not involved in the arrangements, though Macur writes that many of the cheerleaders were uncomfortable with everything that went on.
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Washington Reviewing Culture as Potential NFL Scandal Looms