“Boys club and the mob wrapped in one” - Troubling allegations pressed against Raiders by former female employees
The Las Vegas Raiders are one of several NFL franchises in the spotlight for off-the-field complaints. Former female employees of the Raiders assert there’s a concerning pattern of harassment, imposed demotions and uneven treatment.
Former employees of the NFL franchise also say they allowed a culture in both Oakland and Las Vegas that left them feeling as though they weren’t supported, not paid enough and in danger of retribution if they were vocal about their concerns. These complaints were reflected in several lawsuits filed over the length of a decade.
One former employee described the workplace as the following:
“Boys club and the mob wrapped in one.”
"Survival of the fittest:" Former Raiders employees told the @ReviewJournal they felt unsupported, underpaid and at risk of retaliation while at work.
Some women alleged a pattern of harassment, forced demotions and unequal treatment:
reviewjournal.com/investigations… #RaiderNation
Nicolle Reeder filed a class-action lawsuit against the Raiders in 2020 for infringing labor laws in the state of California. She described the atmosphere of the organization, saying:
“When you’re in that environment, it’s kind of like survival of the fittest.”
The revelations come in the midst of rising scrutiny of office complaints within the league, with a congressional oversight committee making known plans to summon Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder over harassment assertions made by female employees.
The revelations come amid growing scrutiny of NFL workplace complaints. A congressional committee this week announced plans to subpoena Washington Commanders owner.
Raiders owner Mark Davis: “Eventually I will have something to say about all of this but not right now.”
Former Raiders interim president of the team, Dan Ventrelle, claimed he was let go for attempting to act as a whistleblower. He was fired in May of this year.
Dan Ventrelle said he was fired by Mark Davis in retaliation to concerns he brought up of a hostile work environment within the organization, that were ignored. Then he brought them up to the NFL. He has retained legal council regarding his firing. #vegas #raiders #raidernation https://t.co/jDzzdgmqtl
In a statement, Ventrelle spoke of his almost two decades with the Raiders and how the many written complaints towards owner Mark Davis gave him grave concern:
“I have committed almost 18 years of my life to the success of the Raiders as General Counsel and President. I take that responsibility very seriously, which is why multiple written complaints from employees that Mark created a hostile work environment and engaged in other potential misconduct caused me grave concern.”
Former Raiders employee says team knew of hostile environment
This was not the consensus of all the employees within the organization, however. Former Team Human Resources employee Nicole Adams said Ventrelle was cognizant of how employees were treated, stating:
“Dan was involved in every situation that happened, every situation of harassment, every situation of a hostile working condition”
Some women claimed they were told how to dress and were singled out for distracting the men in the office.
Adams, who worked in Human Resources for the organization for almost five years, said she was constantly made uncomfortable over how she was dressed at her job, even if it was a turtleneck dress down to her knees. She described why she felt uncomfortable, saying:
“Those things were inappropriate because I had boobs and a butt. I just started wearing pants because I felt like I couldn’t wear skirts or dresses, or I would be seen as being provocative.”
She was terminated in November of 2020, after she reported feeling singled out by her bosses in Human Resources. Adams didn’t take a severance payment that would have called for her to stay silent. Adams said she was so impacted by her experience that she filed a complaint versus the Raiders with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a partner of the Nevada Equal Rights Commission.
Adams claimed the organization in her complaint of showing prejudice towards her because of her race and counterattacked after she reported issues about pay disparity and unequal treatment.
We’ll see how this turns out as workplaces within the league are once again facing criticism for their treatment of women.
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