Sports

Actions

Attorneys general urge NFL to address gender-based discrimination

NFL Owners Meeting Football
Posted at 10:14 AM, Apr 06, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-06 12:14:38-04

Six attorney generals stated in a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that they have "grave concerns" about the recent allegations from 30 former employees of a hostile workplace for women.

In a news release, New York Attorney General Letitia James said they asked Goodell to take "swift action" to address the former employees' allegations of "a pervasive culture of sexism and widespread workplace discrimination."

"With 1,100 employees at the NFL, 37% of whom are women, and 30% of whom are people of color, it is imperative that you ensure that all employees are treated equally, fairly, and with the dignity they deserve," the attorneys general of New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington State said in the letter.

The letter comes after a New York Times investigative piece in February, which outlined 30 former league employees alleging they were subjected to watching the 2014 video of former running back Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee.

"In the aftermath of that disturbing incident and too many others, the NFL promised to do better, take gender violence seriously, and improve conditions for women within the league. We now know that they did nothing of the sort," James said.

James said that if anyone "experienced or witnessed similar discrimination at the NFL or any other employer" they can file a complaint with her office.