The story was teased by those with knowledge of it until the Washington Post published it Thursday, creating more anticipation and speculation about what news was going to break regarding the Washington football team, formerly known as the Redskins.
Of course, it’s in part because the team is undergoing a name change. But in hindsight, the hype feels a little odd considering the reporting alleged 15 women were sexually harassed and verbally abused while employed by the organization.
The reporting laid out a timeline lasting more than a decade where high-ranking staffers created a culture that normalized inappropriate interactions with female employees.
You can read the full report here. There’s a lot to unpack, but Twitter is always so great at doing so:
The tweets teasing this WaPo story show you how many people, mainly men, in this business knew what was happening. Step up. Speak out when you see it. Be real allies.
— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) July 16, 2020
This is important work from @TheWillHobson and @lizclarketweet that I hope will lead to change. https://t.co/wTP6y02Kdt
— Nora Princiotti (@NoraPrinciotti) July 16, 2020
One of the first replies I saw to the Washington story was "that's it?" and if that doesn't tell you what it is to be a woman, and even more so a women in sports, idk if anything else ever will.
— JP (@jimemaud) July 16, 2020
So many men see stuff + don't say anything.
So many NFL employees think they can shoot their shot, whenever/however.
So many female reporters push thru daily BS cause we have no choice.
So many ppl thought they looked cool tease-tweeting this WaPo story.
Annoying. All of it.
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) July 16, 2020
to the Females who have worked in a male dominated field.. does the culture in Washingtons organization surprise you? how do your experiences compare?.. and is that part of the problem.. its become in some way (despicable yes ) but sadly understood consequence of the space?
— Elle Duncan (@elleduncanESPN) July 16, 2020
Knew @NoraPrinciotti was dope but for this dig she’s legendary pic.twitter.com/q4nAOaFMMF
— Alexandra Francisco (@ByAlFrancisco) July 16, 2020
It was easy yesterday to do the 👀 or tweet something cryptic, and it was rewarded with a ton of RTs and likes. But in the end this was a story about real people who endured real traumas
— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) July 16, 2020
If you think it’s just one team, you’re mistaken. If you think it’s just a handful of us who’ve faced this, you’re not correct. If you think women in the #NFL aren’t absurdly tough, you’re wrong. #sisterhood https://t.co/VSKtyfs9OC
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) July 16, 2020
https://twitter.com/AdrienneLaw/status/1283891800206278657?s=20
👆🏻All of this. There’s no governing body a lot of times for this type stuff. So it’s essentially the wild Wild West. Bc as much as the NFL likes to pretend they have control, they don’t. & they’ll never have the best interest of their employees, just the protection of the shield.
— Jennifer Sterger (@jennifersterger) July 16, 2020
https://twitter.com/MirinFader/status/1283893729841930240?s=20
Excellent work and tremendous courage from women who risked a great deal by speaking. The imagery in this should be a gut punch to everyone in the Washington franchise and fan base. Simple question here: Is Dan Snyder the kind of owner that should remain blessed with an NFL team? https://t.co/tQU3uo8xEv
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) July 16, 2020
Thanks, Gary. It was bad in the late 1980s and appears to be even worse now, which is appalling. https://t.co/faXMoUbFc0
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) July 16, 2020
Just finished the article. Washington is/was rotten to the core. Dan Snyder may not have been directly implicated in the harassment, but when half the executive team acts in such a repugnant manner to female employees over 10 years, it falls on him.
Sell the team, Dan.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) July 16, 2020
We’ll see if and how the NFL intervenes.