By Liz Mullen, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal
Representatives of former Jets employee Jenn Sterger are “very concerned” that NFL officials have not returned phone calls ever since an SI.com report yesterday that Vikings QB Brett Favre may escape allegations that he sexually harassed her with little or no discipline, Sterger's manager said. “It would be absolutely heartbreaking if this is the case,” said Phil Reese, manager for Sterger, who recently lost her job at Versus. “The NFL has assured us the whole time that Commissioner Goodell was committed to holding players accountable for their actions and would take a stand against sexual harassment in the workplace.” Since SI.com writer Peter King wrote an item titled “Favre May Skate” in his Monday Morning Quarterback column, NFL officials have failed to return four phone calls from Reese and Sterger’s attorney Joseph Conway, Reese said. Previously, NFL officials were in contact with Sterger's representatives on an almost daily basis since Sterger met with NFL VP/Security Milt Ahlerich on Nov. 11, Reese said. NFL Senior VP/PR Greg Aiello, in response to questions about the investigation, including why phone calls from Sterger’s reps were not returned, said in an e-mail: “It is (a) complex situation that has involved a great deal of due diligence. We are trying to wrap it up as soon as possible and will notify everyone appropriately when a conclusion is reached.”
AWAITING A DECISION: Reese said he was concerned that the report by respected journalist King was leaked by high-level NFL officials. King reported he was hearing that the “league was not able to connect the sordid cell-phone photos from Favre to Sterger beyond the shadow of a doubt.” However, Reese said, “No. 1, that is absolutely not true. There is evidence that ties the photos in question back to Favre. And No. 2, the photos are one piece of the puzzle. Even if you take those out of the equation, you still have a slam dunk case that Favre was in violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy.” Reese said, “I am an eternal optimist. However, as a result of this report and our phone calls going un-returned, I am very concerned that the league is not going to do the right thing after all.”
