Attorneys of the Washington Football Team offered a financial settlement in February to former female employees who accused the team officials of sexual harassment and misconduct, according to Will Hobson of The Washington Post. The settlement offers were made in exchange for the women’s silence.
The women would have had to sign nondisclosure agreements while agreeing to stop doing interviews and posting on social media about their time while working with the organization.
The women’s accusations were revealed in a Washington Post report last year. They led to the Beth Wilkinson investigation into the Washington Football Team’s toxic workplace environment.
“It was pretty easy for us to say no, that wasn’t the purpose for why we said anything,” one former employee told Hobson.
“We turned it down because we see the bigger picture, and we have always been after meaningful change,” another said.
The offer from Washington’s attorneys would not have prevented the women from being questioned in Wilkinson’s investigation.
Unfortunately, for the women the findings of the investigation have yet to be released by the NFL or Wilkinson. The league is steadfast in not releasing the results of the investigation.
However, emails from former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden containing racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments to then-Washington executive Bruce Allen were leaked to the public. In addition, it was revealed ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter sent an entire article to Allen to get his approval.
Gruden resigned Monday from his position with the Raiders.
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