The Washington Post on Thursday released a report detailing allegations of sexual harassment and verbal abuse made by 15 women who previously worked for Washington's NFL franchise. Members of team owner Daniel Snyder's inner circle and team scouts are accused of the improper conduct.
Former director of pro personnel Alex Santos, former assistant director of pro personnel Richard Mann II and radio play-by-play announcer Larry Michael are among those who are accused of misconduct. Within the last week, all three have departed the organization. Santos and Mann reportedly were fired, while Michael retired Wednesday.
No allegations were made against Snyder or former longtime general manager Bruce Allen, who was fired in December after 10 years with the team, though former business executives Dennis Greene and Mitch Gershman were mentioned in the Post's story.
"The Washington Redskins football team takes issues of employee conduct seriously," the team said in a statement made to the Post. "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."
Snyder hired a D.C. law firm to review the team's culture, policies and allegations of misconduct in the workplace.
ESPN reported attorney Beth Wilkinson of Wilkinson Walsh LLP was retained to conduct the independent review. Wilkinson has a background in various high-profile and sports cases, including when she represented the NFL in a suit challenging the league's popular Sunday Ticket Package. She also successfully represented the NCAA and MLB in class-action suits and assisted Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process.
It also has been reported three minority shareholders are seeking to sell their interests in the team.
The allegations come on the heels of the team's announcement Monday that it's dumping the "Redskins" nickname and logo, which had been in use for 87 years. Other changes for the franchise include Allen's firing and the hiring of head coach Ron Rivera on New Year's Day. Rivera also was given control of football operations.
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) July 13, 2020
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