Opinion: NFL's weak punishment of Washington Football Team shows what league truly thinks of women
In one instance, an employee of the Washington Football Team named Emily Applegate -- as was first reported last July by the The Washington Post -- was frequently sexually harassed, and was once called “(expletive) stupid" by the team's former chief operating officer. She said she was also asked to wear tight clothes for client meetings, “so the men in the room have something to look at.”
In another, Larry Michael, then the longtime radio voice of the team, was caught on a “hot mic” speaking about the attractiveness of a college-aged intern, the Post reported.
Then there was Alex Santos, the team’s director of pro personnel, who was accused, as the Post wrote, "by six former employees and two reporters who covered the team of making inappropriate remarks about their bodies and asking them whether they were romantically interested in him. In 2019, Santos was the subject of an internal investigation after Rhiannon Walker, a reporter for the Athletic, informed club management Santos had pinched her, told her she had 'an ass like a wagon' and repeatedly asked her to date him."
On and on the harassment went. There are more examples. Inside the Washington team, it was the 1950s. It was "Mad Men." It was a staggeringly decrepit cesspool of abuse of power and serial harassment of women.
The NFL launched an investigation following the Post story and found what most people knew was accurate: The women, who are the heroes of this story, were of course telling the truth. The league on Thursday released a damning report, and the NFL was so upset, so irate, so offended to the bottom of its soul it took drastic, heartfelt action by fining the Washington team...
That was it. That was the punishment. No draft picks taken. No significant punishment of any kind for owner Dan Snyder, who settled a misconduct lawsuit against him. To call this a slap on the wrist would be an insult to slaps and wrists.
The next time you hear the NFL talk about how much it loves women, who represent about half of the fans, remember this moment. This is what the league really thinks about women.
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The tepid decision by the NFL shows that when money and power are at stake, the league reverts back to its more primordial form. The light fine is a statement from the NFL. It's as clear a statement as there is. It says this:
We may trumpet the hiring of women at key positions; we may say we're progressive; we may enjoy the speculation that a woman could become a head coach one day; we'll make some nice, pink merch for you; we love women ... kisses to you all.
But if you mess with our money, or our standing, we will show you what we really think about you. And in the end, keeping our power is paramount. Nothing else matters. Remember that, ladies. Don't ever forget it.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement that he "concluded that for many years, the workplace environment at the Washington Football Team, both generally and particularly for women, was highly unprofessional. Bullying and intimidation frequently took place, and many described the culture as one of fear, and numerous female employees reported having experienced sexual harassment and a general lack of respect in the workplace."
That sounds really bad, right?
The league concluded that the team's, "Ownership and senior management paid little or no attention to these issues. In some instances, senior executives engaged in inappropriate conduct themselves, including use of demeaning language and public embarrassment. This set the tone for the organization and led to key executives believing that disrespectful behavior and more serious misconduct was acceptable in the workplace."
That sounds really bad, right?
That's because it is. The NFL's response was a $10 million fine for a team worth over $3 billion.
A $10 million fine is peanuts. It's insignificant to an organization that rolls in cash.
On some occasions, we see what a corporation, or person, truly thinks about women, and I mean, really thinks about them, behind the talk and when the cameras are off. This is one of those moments.
For every wonderful instance, like a Kamala Harris being elected vice president, there's a Bill Cosby, a free man despite being credibly accused of rape by dozens of women.
While what happened inside the Washington team isn't in the same universe as the monstrosity of Cosby, the weak punishment is a message nonetheless. If there was ever a time that an owner deserved to be kicked out of the league, it was this one. Snyder should be gone.
Instead, essentially, very little happened to him or his franchise.
Message received.