The lawsuit claims ESPN is, quote, "rife with mosgyny," describing male employees keeping scorecards for female colleagues, making sexually explicit comments, and casually watching porn.
ESPN responded in a statement that it had conducted an investigation and found Lawrence's allegations to be "entirely without merit."
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| John Buccigross |
Her suit says senior SportsCenter anchor John Buccigross offered to mentor her when she joined ESPN, but he began making unwelcome advances, including sending her texts complimenting her legs and face and a shirtless photo of himself saying, "I’m a white boy and I’m jacked." He also sent a text asking for a photo of her and offering to oil himself up, quote, "like a flag bearer from Tonga."
The suit claims that when Lawrence rebuffed him, Buccigross spread false rumors that she was "sleeping her way to the top," and when she reported this to human resources, she was asked to, quote, "give him a chance" and get used to his behavior.
Buccigross told the Boston Globe in December that he did send the photos, but denied starting rumors. He said, "I considered Adrienne to be a friend. I’m sorry if anything I did or said offended Adrienne. It certainly wasn’t my intent." Lawrence's suit contends that after she complained to HR and to a supervisor, he contract wasn't renewed.
Meanwhile, Jemele Hill denis that longtime ESPN personality Chris Berman “never left any racially disparaging remarks on my voicemail” in a Twitter message Monday night, disputing a claim made in the federal lawsuit by Lawrence.
“A few years ago, I had a personal conflict with Chris Berman, but the way this conflict has been characterized is dangerously inaccurate,” Hill said. “Chris never left any racially disparaging remarks on my voicemail and our conflict was handled swiftly and with the utmost professionalism.”
The alleged incident from 2016 was part of a 93-page sexual harassment lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut on Sunday by Lawrence.
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