NFL Must Act to End ‘Pervasive Culture of Sexism’ for Female Workers, States Say

(Bloomberg) -- The National Football League was urged by six state attorneys generals to improve working conditions for female employees following allegations that the organization is a hostile workplace for the women.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should take “swift action” in response to reports that dozens of former employees described a “pervasive culture of sexism and widespread workplace discrimination,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement on Wednesday. 

“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 AGs of New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Oregon, Washington and Minnesota said in a joint letter to Goodell.

The New York Times reported in February that more than 30 former women who worked for the league described a “stifling, deeply ingrained corporate culture that demoralized some female employees, drove some to quit in frustration and left many feeling brushed aside.” 

In a statement, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, “We share the commitment of the attorneys general to ensuring that all of our workplaces -- including the league office and 32 clubs -- are diverse, inclusive and free from discrimination and harassment.” 

The New York attorney general said the league has failed to follow through on past pledges to reform.

“In 2014, we watched in horror as the video of Ray Rice brutally attacking his fiancé was made public,” James said. “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.”

Former employees have described incidents where they were repeatedly forced to watch the Rice video -- while coworkers commented that the victim's own behavior prompted the incident, according to the letter. They also said they were touched without their consent by male bosses, attended parties where prostitutes were hired, and were passed over for promotions based on their gender, the attorneys general said.

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