Following ESPN’s suspension of Donovan McNabb and Eric Davis for actions at the NFL Network, The Boston Globe published a report detailing harassment and discrimination at ESPN.
Complaints range from being demoted or removed before or after maternity leave to sexual harassment.
Adrienne Lawrence accused SportsCenter anchor John Buccigross of sending unsolicited shirtless pictures of himself and calling her “dollface,” “#dreamgirl,” and “#longlegs.” She claims that when she complained to ESPN leadership, she was advised to drop the matter. She then said that her on-air shifts were reduced and she was denied a permanent position.
Buccigross acknowledged sending the pictures. “I considered Adrienne to be a friend. I’m sorry if anything I did or said offended Adrienne. It certainly wasn’t my intent.” ESPN said it conducted a thorough investigation and found Lawrence’s claims to be entirely without merit.
Another claim is regarding Jenn Sterger. In 2006, Matthew Berry was auditioning as a contributor for The Fantasy Show. Her and several employees and candidates went to a strip club, where she says she was uncomfortable. Sterger did not get a job, but Berry did. Both were admonished for the strip club outing. ESPN says that it chose another woman who had more experience. Berry is now ESPN’s senior fantasy analyst and a significant figure at ESPN. Berry said visiting the strip club “was not a smart decision and I regret going.” He described a photo from that work trip in which he is pointing at Sterger’s breasts as “personally embarrassing and I did not mean any offense.”
Sterger says that she had another encounter with Berry two years later when she was visiting ESPN for a job opportunity. Sterger says that Berry made sexual comment, while Berry denies the claim. Regarding any discipline, Berry told the paper that he was, “talked to once about an alleged issue in 2007, which was ultimately resolved.”
ESPN responded to the concerns with the following statement: “We work hard to maintain a respectful and inclusive culture at ESPN. It is always a work in progress, but we’re proud of the significant progress we’ve made in developing and placing women in key roles at the company in the board room, in leadership positions throughout ESPN and on air,” said Katina Arnold an ESPN spokeswoman