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15 former female Redskins employees told the Washington Post they were sexually harassed while they worked for the football club.
The state of play: The women say they experienced unwelcome propositions or comments of a sexual nature and goading to wear revealing clothes and flirt with clients to close deals from 2006 to 2019.
- The Redskins declined a request to release some of the former employees from nondisclosure agreements so they could speak publicly about their experiences without fear of legal reprisal, according to the Post.
What they're saying: Emily Applegate, a former marketing coordinator for the team, was the only woman who spoke to the paper on the record about her time at the organization. She left her job in 2015.
- Applegate said the sexual harassment and verbal abuse that employees faced was ignored — and sometimes condoned — by top team executives.
Team owner Daniel Snyder said in a statement on Friday that the action described in the Post story "has no place in our franchise or our society."
- “The story has strengthened my commitment to setting a new culture and standard for our team, a process the began with the hiring of Coach Rivera earlier this year," Snyder said.
During the past week, as the newspaper presented its findings to the team, three employees who had been accused of improper behavior suddenly departed.
The big picture: The allegations come amid increased scrutiny on the Washington Redskins for the team's name, which many consider to be racist toward Native Americans.
- The team announced on Monday it will modify its name after three major sponsors publicly requested the change.
What to watch: The team said it hired a law firm "to conduct a thorough independent review of this entire matter and help the team set new employee standards for the future," according to a statement cited by the Post.