The sexual misconduct and harassment allegations that have rocked so much of the world of entertainment and politics, have now rocked the NFL.
According to a recently filed lawsuit, Jami Cantor, a former wardrobe stylist for the NFL Network, has alleged that Marshall Faulk, Heath Evans, and former NFL Network Executive Producer Eric Weinberger; groped her and made sexually explicit comments while she worked at the network.
Faulk and Evans are still employed by the NFL Network, Weinberger has since left and currently serves as the president of sports personality Bill Simmons’s media group.
The lawsuit, filed against NFL Enterprises in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, lists several specific and detailed complaints against Faulk, Evans, and Weinberger.
Cantor alleges that Weinberger sent her “several nude pictures of himself and sexually explicit texts.” Cantor also said that Weinberger told her she was “put on earth to pleasure me.” She also alleges that Weinberger once pressed his crotch up against her shoulder, and told her to touch it.
Marshall Faulk, according to the complaint, would ask Cantor “deeply personal and invasive questions” about her sex life. The Hall of Fame running back also allegedly fondled her breasts and groped her behind.
According to Bloomberg, “Ike Taylor, also an analyst, sent Cantor ‘sexually inappropriate’ pictures of himself and a video of him masturbating in the shower, according to the filing. Donovan McNabb, a former analyst, also texted her explicit comments, according to the compliant.
“Alex Riethmiller, a spokesman for the NFL Network, said Faulk, Taylor and Evans have been suspended from their duties pending an investigation into the allegations.
“Weinberger hung up the phone when reached for comment. Joel Segal, who represents Taylor, didn’t immediately return a voicemail seeking comment. Jordan Bazant, who represents Faulk and Evans, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the allegations. Representatives for McNabb didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.”
According to the complaint, Cantor told then-NFL talent coordinator Marc Watts about the harassment she had received. However, according to the filing, Watts did not act. Saying instead, “It’s part of the job when you look the way you do.”
According to Bloomberg, Cantor “…also complained about other working conditions at the network, including a failure to reimburse her for expenses and a lack of compensation for the hours she worked. She was terminated by her supervisor at the NFL in October 2016, when she was 51, and replaced by a 30-year-old, according to the complaint.”
Cantor’s lawsuit represents the second major sexual harassment scandal to rock the sports world, as part of the recent wave of allegations. Hall of Famer Warren Moon has also been sued by a former employee for sexual harassment.
Moon denies the claim.
Bill Simmons, Eric Weinberger’s current employer, did not respond to a request for comment. Faulk, Taylor, and Evans, all analysts at the NFL Network, have been suspended pending the results of an investigation.
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