The state attorneys general of New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington wrote a letter to Roger Goodell expressing “grave concern” about the recent reports about the NFL’s treatment of women employees.
The New York Times published a report in February where more than 30 former league employees detailed accounts of demoralizing culture. According to the letter from the attorneys general, the accounts range from women employees being asked “to raise their hand to self-identify if they had been victims of domestic violence or knew someone who had” to being passed over for promotions due to their gender to “experiencing unwanted touching from male bosses” to being pushed out from their jobs “for complaining about discrimination.”
Some described how they had to repeatedly watch the video of Ray Rice knocking his then-fiancé unconscious “with commentary by coworkers that the victim had brought the violence on herself.”
The attorneys general highlighted other accounts in their letter, including how “female employees told the Times that they were held back and criticized for having an ‘aggressive tone’—an often unfair stereotype of women, especially women of color who try to advance in a male-dominated workplace.
“This comment is particularly ironic coming from a manager at the N.F.L., where aggression is prized and celebrated on the field.”
The group of six ended the letter emphasizing how “all of this is entirely unacceptable and potentially unlawful,” adding that they would “use the full weight of our authority to investigate and prosecute allegations of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation by employers throughout our states, including at the National Football League.”
In a statement released Wednesday from New York attorney general Letitia James, the group asked for those who have either experienced or witnessed discrimination in the NFL (or any employer) to file complaints with her office.
The letter comes as the league continues to face pressure from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform concerning its handling of the Washington workplace misconduct probe and team owner Dan Snyder, the discrimination lawsuit from Brian Flores against the league and three franchises and its own investigation into whether Deshaun Watson violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
