NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league would "launch an internal investigation" of NFL Network in "reaction to the claims made earlier this week as part of a wrongful termination lawsuit that alleged rampant sexual harassment at the NFL-owned broadcast outlet," according to A.J. Perez of USA TODAY. Goodell said, "We take that very seriously. Those are issues that are important to us. We want to make sure that all of our employees, whether at the NFL Network or at the league office or at clubs, are working in a safe and comfortable environment. Any time that doesn't exist, we are going to make sure that we deal with that very quickly and very seriously." Laura Horton, the attorney for former NFL Net wardrobe stylist Jami Cantor, who filed the lawsuit, said that she "received 'no response' from the league after the original filing, despite it containing many of the same allegations of fondling, sexual propositions and other inappropriate conduct." Horton on Monday "amended the complaint that named several current and former NFL Network employees." Horton said, "I had to amend it for procedural reasons. Since I had to amend it anyway, I thought it was appropriate to add the names" (USA TODAY, 12/14).
SAPP ADDRESSES ALLEGATIONS: Pro Football HOFer Warren Sapp yesterday appeared on Miami-based WINZ-AM and denied the allegations leveled against him in Cantor's lawsuit. Sapp discussed the incident in which Cantor claims he urinated in front of her, saying, “She was not in the bathroom. I was not urinating in front of her at no time, no point, no how. I walked in, asked her to leave, she left.” Sapp also denied the allegations of giving Cantor sex toys as gifts. On whether he showed Cantor nude pictures of a women he'd slept with, Sapp said he "never showed" her "anything in my phone other than someone that I might have been dating." Sapp said of why Cantor included him in her lawsuit, “I’m the notorious one, right? I’m always the bad guy. That’s why I’m in here today. (But) we’re not having this. No, ‘Me Too.’ Nothing. No sexual harassment. Are you kidding me? No way. ... You’re not going to put that one on me" (“The Andy Slater Show,” WINZ-AM, 12/13).
