Melissa Weishaupt believes it's time she becomes more than an anonymous voice.
A month after Weishaupt's anonymous statements to Sports Illustrated were featured prominently in a story detailing a Dallas Mavericks corporate culture prevalent with predatory sexual behavior and misogyny, she attached her name and face to her comments Tuesday.
Weishaupt wrote a first-person essay published by Sports Illustrated's website Tuesday about her experiences working in marketing and game operations for the Mavericks from 2010 to 2014 and why she believes owner Mark Cuban still doesn't recognize the problem. In an extensive interview with The Dallas Morning News, Weishaupt opened up about how she became a target of former Mavericks president/CEO Terdema Ussery.
Weishaupt was among more than a dozen former and current Mavericks employees that SI interviewed during its one-month investigation. She said she's been influenced by the #MeToo movement and hopes other women allegedly sexually harassed by Ussery during his Mavericks tenure will now feel more empowered to come forward. She also believes Cuban and the Mavericks need to do more.
Weishaupt's decision to attach her name to her allegations was in part sparked by Ussery's denial to Sports Illustrated. When Ussery was told that multiple women alleged he sexually harassed them, he told the magazine, "I am deeply disappointed that anonymous sources have made such outright false and inflammatory accusations against me."
"When Terdema said that about staying anonymous, he made it seem like we're being cowards with it, and we're definitely not," Weishaupt said. "There are reasons why people stay anonymous, but I want more people to come forward and I want people to feel they can say something and feel comfortable saying something. They shouldn't feel like they should have to hide. There is power in speaking out. For so long we've had to be quiet with this and it is scary and it's uncomfortable, but you should come forward."
Ussery hasn't returned repeated calls from The News.
