HEADLINES

Richard Mann

15 Former Female Redskins Employees Allege Sexual Harassment

July 16th, 2020 at 5:20pm CST by Ben Levine

15 former female Redskins employees told Will Hobson and Liz Clarke of the Washington Post that they were sexually harassed during their tenure with the organization. This follows news from earlier today that the team had hired DC-based attorney Beth Wilkinson in anticipation of the story.

“The Washington Redskins football team takes issues of employee conduct seriously … While we do not speak to specific employee situations publicly, when new allegations of conduct are brought forward that are contrary to these policies, we address them promptly,” the team said in a statement.

14 of the women spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing litigation after signing nondisclosure agreements that prevented them from speaking negatively about the organization. The Redskins declined a request from the Washington Post to release those individuals from those agreements. Owner Dan Snyder also declined “several requests” for an interview.

Notably, three team employees have abruptly left the organization in recent weeks. Director of pro personnel Alex Santos and assistant director of pro personnel Richard Mann II were fired from their positions, while longtime radio personality Larry Michael left his position earlier this week.

As the article details, the allegations stem from 2006 to 2019, and the allegations include “unwelcome overtures or comments of a sexual nature, and exhortations to wear revealing clothing and flirt with clients to close sales deals.” Among those accused of harassment are “three former members of Snyder’s inner circle and two longtime members of the personnel department.” Besides the aforementioned individuals, the Post identifies former president of business operations Dennis Greene and former COO Mitch Gershman as harassers.

While none of the women accused Snyder nor former team president Bruce Allen of harassment, the women “expressed skepticism the men were unaware of the behavior they allege.” The women also cited Snyder’s “understaffed human resources department” and a “sophomoric culture of verbal abuse among top executives.”

The article is filled with anecdotes, text messages, and internal company documents that seem to substantiate the claims. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, this certainly won’t be the end of the story. While Snyder refused to be interviewed for the Washington Post story, he can’t stay silent forever, and there will surely be increased calls for him to sell the team.

Redskins To Fire Two Front Office Execs

July 12th, 2020 at 3:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite previous reports indicating Washington was planning to hire a GM after the draft, the franchise remains without one. The Ron Rivera-led team did move further away from previous regimes Sunday, however.

The Redskins are firing their top two executives in the pro personnel department, moving on from director of pro personnel Alex Santos and assistant pro personnel director Richard Mann II, Les Carpenter of the Washington Post reports.

Santos joined the franchise in 2006, before since-fired team president Bruce Allen‘s arrival, and had held the pro personnel director position since 2014. Mann resided in his post since 2017, having previously been a Redskins scout for seven years.

This will leave Washington shorthanded, for the time being, in terms of evaluating potential free agency additions going into training camp. Santos and Mann played a key role for recent Redskins teams, given the injury trouble they have run into — especially on offense.

North Notes: Browns, Mularkey, Steelers

January 16th, 2018 at 9:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns are “in discussions” with former Titans head coach Mike Mularkey regarding their offensive coordinator vacancy, according to Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. Mularkey, who was fired by Tennessee on Monday, was loosely connected to Cleveland yesterday, with reports indicating Hue Jackson & Co. would be interested in Mularkey if he were to come available. As of yet, the Browns have not set up a formal interview with Mularkey, but such a meeting could soon occur. Mularkey would become the third definitive candidate for Cleveland’s OC job, joining Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan and former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo. A three-time head coach, Mularkey has coordinated offenses for the Steelers, Dolphins, and Falcons.

Here’s more from the 2018 coaching carousel:

  • Mularkey isn’t the only coach in whom the Browns are interested, as Cleveland has also interviewed TCU co-offensive coordinator Curtis Luper for their running backs coach position, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. If hired, Luper would replace Kirby Wilson, who was fired last week after two seasons with the Browns. Luper, 56, has never coached at the NFL level, but has worked in NCAA roles since 1995, with stops including New Mexico, Oklahoma State, and Auburn. He’s been at TCU since 2013, and was promoted from RBs coach to co-offensive coordinator in 2017.
  • Steelers wide receivers coach Richard Mann is planning to retire, as Alex Marvez of the Sporting News writes. The 70-year-old Mann has enjoyed a long career in coaching, and has especially thrived since joining Pittsburgh’s staff in 2013. His arrival coincided with Antonio Brown‘s ascension to the league’s best wideout, while Mann has also helped guide young pass-catchers such as Martavis Bryant and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Mann, a long-time collegiate coach, entered the NFL ranks in 1985.
  • The Vikings have yet to decide whether Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater will be quarterback Case Keenum‘s backup in the NFC Championship game, head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters, including Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Minnesota, which rarely keeps three quarterbacks active, used Bradford as Keenum’s No. 2 in the former’s first game since being activated off injured reserve.