Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson is the latest prominent figure accused of inappropriate behavior in the workplace.
The Panthers announced Friday they have opened an investigation into allegations of “workplace misconduct” against the 83-year-old Richardson.
“The Carolina Panthers and Mr. Richardson take these allegations very seriously and are fully committed to a full investigation and taking appropriate steps to address and remediate any misconduct,” team spokesman Steven Drummond said in a statement. “The entire organization is fully committed to ensuring a safe, comfortable and diverse work environment where all individuals, regardless of sex, race, color, religion, gender, or sexual identity or orientation, are treated fairly and equally. We have work to do to achieve this goal, but we are going to meet it.”
Richardson, who played two NFL seasons before a career in business, founded the Panthers in 1995 and has owned them ever since.
The Panthers’ investigation into Richardson will led by an international law firm and overseen by former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles, a minority owner in the team.
The wave of high-profile men getting in trouble for inappropriate conduct in the workplace has recently reached sports. Current and former NFL Network analysts Marshall Faulk, Warren Sapp, Donovan McNabb, Heath Evans and Ike Taylor, as well as executive Eric Weinberger were recently accused of sexual harassment, as were ESPN’s John Buccigross and Matthew Berry.
The Panthers announced that due to the ongoing investigation, they would not comment on the specifics of the allegations against Richardson.
[ESPN]
