The former Washington Football Team cheerleaders have been asking the NFL to release all of the results of the investigation into their workplace culture. They allege that coaches were passing inappropriate pictures of the squad members to the NFL’s Jon Gruden, including some of the women wearing topless outfits. The emails also claim that Gruden passed the photos along to general manager Bruce Allen. The emails were sent through email, and they were allegedly passed from one team executive to another.
The NFL fined the Washington Redskins $US10 million earlier this year, but the team still refuses to share any of the details of the investigation. The NFL Players Association and attorneys representing 40 former employees of the WFT also want to see full disclosure. The former marketing director Melanie Coburn, who was involved with the scandal for 10 years, blasted the latest development as “despicable.”
The cheerleaders initially complained of the inappropriate behavior in 2012 and crafted a lawsuit against WFT. They alleged that the video was made secret and circulated to team executives. The lawsuits were eventually settled out of court. In July, the NFL launched its own investigation into the culture of the cheerleading team and settled for $10 million. This summer, it was opened again to review email records. Some images found in the 650,000 emails became part of the Gruden allegations.
Since the scandal broke, many former cheerleaders of the Washington Football Team have publicly demanded answers from the NFL. Leaked emails revealed that the cheerleaders were subjected to inappropriate photos and videos. The emails also contained racist, misogynistic, and homophobic comments that ultimately led to the resignation of the former Las Vegas Raiders head coach, Jon Gruden. The leaked emails also exposed photos of the WFT cheerleaders that were taken without the cheerleaders’ knowledge.
Another controversy involving Washington Redskins’ cheerleaders involved the team’s annual calendar. The cheerleaders were required to wear topless tops and attend events as “escorts” for male sponsors. Some of them refused to attend the event, as they didn’t feel comfortable going with unfamiliar men. The Redskins’ director, Stephanie Jojokian, has been criticized for this action, but the cheerleaders have been free to criticize their actions.