Workplace Claims: Washington Redskins' Team Name May Not Be Its Only Problem
The team brings in a big-name sports attorney for a look at reports of workplace misconduct.
July 16, 2020 at 04:05 PM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on National Law Journal
The Washington Redskins organization retained Wilkinson Walsh, founded by prominent trial lawyer Beth Wilkinson, to assess its "culture" and possible workplace misconduct, she confirmed in a statement.
Multiple sports outlets reported the news Thursday hours before the Washington Post reported 15 female former employees claimed they were targets of sexual harassment during their time with the team.
The women reportedly signed nondisclosure agreements, and only one spoke on the record about allegations covering 2006 to 2019. The newspaper tied two firings and an instant retirement to the women's reports.
In an email to Law.com, Wilkinson confirmed, "Our firm was retained by the team to do an independent review of the team's culture, policies and allegations of workplace misconduct."
Wilkinson, who left Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in 2016 to open boutique firm Wilkinson Walsh, is no stranger to the sports world. She was lead trial counsel for the NCAA in lawsuits by athletes seeking to challenge its compensation rules and represented the NFL in a national antitrust suit on the league's broadcasting rights.
More recently, Wilkinson is known for her representation of now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during sexual misconduct allegations that emerged during his confirmation process as well as her work with U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan of the District of Columbia on his handling of Michael Flynn case.
Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who purchased the team in 1999 for $750 million, has been under fire for as long as he has owned the team. Besides the prospect of workplace misconduct allegations, the team has been grappling with its name and mascot. The team announced Monday that it was dropping the team name.
The Redskins, for as long as they are called that, last posted a winning record in 2016 when the team went 8-7-1. After two 7-9 seasons, the team bottomed out in 2019, going 3-13 to finish last in a notably weak NFC East.
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Flynn Judge Emmet Sullivan Hires Veteran Trial Lawyer Beth Wilkinson
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