It’s almost as if the National Football League has a fool fetish or something. Every time you turn around, theres negative publicity swirling around the vaunted shield, a shield so pure that they blackballed Colin Kaepernick for its sake. But, as Pop Pop once said, for every finger you point at someone, there are three pointing back at you.
For years, football players from high schools and junior colleges through to the most competitive division 1 programs and the National Football League have all been characterized as being unable to keep their hands to themselves, and of creating circumstances that arent conducive to a positive work environment. In other words, being all around douchebags and chauvinists operating in a paradigm where such behavior was accepted as normal.
Currently, allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment are multiplying as the winter shadows grow longer and longer. People who leverage their power and influence to escape retribution for past deeds are finding that there are fewer and fewer rocks under which they can hide.
Just last week, beloved NFL Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon was named in a lawsuit in which he was accused of some pretty foul activity. As bad as that was, these new allegations against NFL Network top execs and on-air talent are worse.
In her recently amended lawsuit, Jami L. Cantor, a former wardrobe stylist at NFL Network for 10 years, accuses a list of top executives, former players and at least one another employee of creating an environment in which those named in the suit felt it was okay to bombard her with sexually-explicit photos, grope and grab her, come into her workspace to cop a feel or to be otherwise inappropriate toward her.
Marshall Faulk, Eric Davis, Warren Sapp, Donovan McNabb, Heath Evans and Ike Taylor were all named as having acted inappropriately in the workplace either by sexually assaulting Cantor, sexually harassing her, or both. Former NFL Network executive Eric Weinberger was also named.
Robert Littal on Twitter
Marshall Faulk & Other NFL Network Personalities Suspended After Jami Cantor Accuses Them of Sexual Harassment; Breakdown of the Accused, Who Fondled Her Breasts, Sent Her Nudes & Asked if She’s a Squirter https://t.co/LyV0Sl5NUB
Cantor worked at the NFL Networks studio in Culver City up until she was terminated last year due to accusation of stealing clothing. Part of her job duties included building a closet full of clothes that on-air talent wore during shows on the network, her lawsuit said. She filed an amended complaint in Los Angeles Superior County on against several former NFL players, the president of a sports media group and NFL Enterprises, as first reported by Bloomberg.
The lawsuit was amended on December 11, with far greater emphasis given to details this time around. Weinberger is accused of sending nudes, rubbing his crotch on her shoulder and asking for her to touch it. Marshall Faulk is alleged to have asked her if she likes oral sex and was she into black men. Hes also accused of fondling her breasts and touching her rear.
Instead of saying good morning, Mr. Faulk greeted (Cantor) by fondling her breasts and groping her behind,,” says the lawsuit. “As time went on, Mr. Faulk became more aggressive, such as inviting (Cantor) to his hotel room, stroking and pulling out his genitals in front of her, pointing to his crotch and asking Plaintiff, when are you gonna get on this already?’ the lawsuit said. He also pinned (Cantor) against a wall, demanding oral sex while he pulled his pants down.
Eric Davis would be sexually explicit fairly regularly, the complaint alleges. Ike Taylor is accused of sending a video in which he was masturbating in the shower. Donovan McNabb is alleged to have sent her sexually explicit messages. NFL Network talent coordinator Marc Watts is also alleged to have sent explicit text messages. Faulk, Taylor and Heath Evans have all been suspended pending an investigation.
Check out the grisly details here.
